


When It was About to Turn Dark

by HAAS81119



Series: When Grey Met Black [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU from book five, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Litlle bit of traditions and royalty, Multi, New Ideas, Romance, Sirius Lives, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Wandless magic at work, hints of strong language, mage magic, mind magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-14 00:09:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 101,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13581888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HAAS81119/pseuds/HAAS81119
Summary: Twins, Anusha Maurya Snape and Anya Maurya Snape were known for their tendency to get in trouble... It wasn't their fault, really... They sincerely took measures to keep themselves out of trouble, but in vain... So, even though their Nana took many steps to ensure that they reach Wizarding Britain safely, they still got into trouble... And this time, the trouble led them to adventures that they would surely remember for the rest of their lives... join them to see what happens!!





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arlett](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Arlett).



> Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.
> 
> Personally, I want to thank Arlett for helping me with this Fanfic. This fiction has been practically co-authored by the both of us. Also, in the end, thank you to all the readers who would read this fic. 
> 
> So, my first fic..... Damn, i spent two years thinking about this and it's finally here.... So, anyways, on we go....  
> This, I'm afraid, would take a while to update, it's just a teaser chapter.... Any reviews, any constructive criticism is appreciated... if there are any mistakes, I am taking full blame for that.... This has not been Beta-ed.
> 
> On we go then....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Arlett.  
> Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc… The Ocs, however are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.
> 
> Personally, I want to thank Arlett for helping me with this Fanfic. This fiction has been practically co-authored by the both of us. Also, in the end, thank you to all the readers who would read this fic.
> 
> So, my first fic... Damn, i spent two years thinking about this and it's finally here... So, anyways, on we go...  
> This, I'm afraid, would take a while to update, it's just a teaser chapter... Any reviews, any constructive criticism is appreciated... if there are any mistakes, I am taking full blame for that... This has not been Beta-ed.
> 
> On we go then...

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

_CHAPTER I_

It had been a while since they had seen their father.

They had done their fourth year examinations well, Vikram Maurya mused, as he looked out of the windows to contemplate the beautiful gardens in front of him. He was certain of his decision to send his granddaughters to England to visit their father, though their _Nani_ wasn’t that keen to let them go anywhere. That had been a point of argument between him and his wife for weeks, before she finally relented. After all, their mother had had her trips at their age; why shouldn’t they?

Granted, the twins got into trouble wherever they went, but this time, he had everything arranged and done properly. He had hired guards to keep a lookout for them at the IMOM, the apparition point, the British ministry of magic, till they were with their Granddad, Septimus. It wasn’t going to be a problem at all.

It was a surprise for the twins, so when they found out, their grandfather was nearly tackled to the ground by two very excited girls who couldn’t just stop themselves. After all, it had been quite a while since they had been to Great Britain and seen either their Granddad or their father.

Their father had just left to spy for the Order when they were to be born. It was a hard time; both for his daughter and for him but both of them were somehow in contact with one another even after he went away. He told Vikram and his wife of the horrors he had to face as being a spy against that group, and that he cannot have his family under such an environment. He never told Amisha of this as she would be worrying for him endlessly. So he promised them that he would come and visited them when he could.

Even when the war had ended, he had simply resigned from his teaching post and came back to India. He just couldn’t take things anymore, what with the press, the public, the Old Minister of Magic, Gabriella James, the Death eaters and Dumbledore hounding him. James was another troublemaker altogether. When Amisha had found out, she had the woman ‘removed’.

After that incident, the days were peaceful, till Severus got a letter from the meddlesome codger, Dumbledore, to come back and start spying again, because HE was still alive and was hiding somewhere. He had to go; he just couldn’t do anything. He had vowed to him that he would ensure Harry was safe, at all costs.

But then, three years after he went off, Amisha was murdered. The circumstances were mysterious, but it had happened. His little girl was gone.

It had shaken everyone to the core, but it was Severus who had suffered the most. He just….. changed, after that, like he wasn’t able to let her go. Let go of that pain. He was working with that pain, like he was punishing himself.

He still came to meet his daughters, but he barely had the time, what with his job and spying. Whenever he did come to meet them, he always looked haggard, tired, and very busy. His insomnia was getting a worse day by day. But he tried his hardest to spend as much time with the Twins as possible. It was an unspoken rule between the family members to not speak about his job to anyone. The twins understood from an early age that their father had to be somewhere and they couldn’t be there with him. So they didn’t trouble him much about that.

As they grew older, they were slowly told about their father little by little, about what the circumstances were and why he has to go off to England for a long time. They understood and they accepted it.

He had no problem raising them both, being the youngest potions master of India and a member of the Royale 15. He was also well known in the muggle world, doing humanitarian work and helping control the poverty and lack of jobs as much as possible. He also set up a group of companies to ensure jobs for the jobless.

His chain of thought was broken by his granddaughters’ voices calling him.

“ _Nana_!” Anusha and Anya spoke together. They were very different from other youngsters of their age. Both of them were a bit quiet, bookish, and clever for their age. They were a perfect mix of both their parents - average heighted, with shoulder length hair, black eyes and lean frame just like their father’s and facial features just like their mother’s. But both of them had their own personalities which made them unique. But they always stuck together, no matter what. 

“ _Nana_ , we’re ready! Can we leave now?” Anya asked, excitedly.

“Yes, but your _Nani_ is coming to say goodbye. You know how angry she gets when you both run out of the house without saying goodbye.”

“Yes, in fact, I have the right to, you know,” came a stern voice. They turned towards the source of it and smiled. 

“We were not going to leave before saying goodbye, _Nani_ ,” Anusha said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.

“I know. Now, remember, the portkey’s password will be given to you. Make sure you remember it. And it is enchanted to only be activated in your voice. I know that you can take care of yourselves. So be careful, Okay?” she said in a gentle, slightly strained voice.

“Okay. We understand _Nani_ ,” They said together.

“Keep calm.”

“It’s just a portkey.” Vikram said helpfully, quickly averting his eyes as his wife glared at him fiercely.

“Oh, hush, you! I am worried enough, as it is! I’ll have a talk with you about this, just you wait! Have lots of fun, you two,” She went back to talking to her granddaughters, much to Vikram’s chagrin and the twins’ amusement.

“It is going to be quiet around here without you both, you know,” _Nana_ said.

“I’ll miss you both. Come back soon, okay?”

“For Merlin’s sake, we aren’t actually settling down there! We’ll be back in, like, a few weeks!”

“You both better be back to me. My _Bacchas,”_ She said, pulling them close to her.

They both chuckled and hugged their grandmother. Levitating their trunks, they shrunk them and kept them in their pockets and apparated to the Ministry with their _Nana_ , after the goodbyes with _Nani_. They were given the portkey and the password.

Anusha said, “I’m saying the password-“

“No! I am. My turn. Give me.”

“Alright, then. You better say it clearly; we don’t want an incident like the last time.”

“Hey! That was an accident.”

“If you say so. I for one would never want to get to see the Minister’s personal secretary like _that_ ever again. And I really don’t know about you.”

Anya shoved her gently, and took the portkey from her. _Nana_ rolled his eyes and smiled at the girls’ antics.

Anusha then turned to their _Nana_ and said, “Okay then, _Nana_. I’ll miss you.”

He laughed and said, “I will miss you too. Both of you. Come back soon and remember, Raman would get there to help you out if you want. You just have to use the diary.”

“Of course, _Nana_. We will remember.” Anya said, slipping an arm around Anusha’s shoulders.

They held the portkey, which was a pendant around their hands. Anya said the password, and they felt the familiar tug at their naval. In no time, they were in the British Isles. But they did not land in the ministry. Instead they had landed on the outskirts of a small muggle village. They were a little puzzled as to why, before Anya sighed.

“Well, there have been complaints given by people who landed in the areas which was on the opposite end of where they wanted to be. It seems like it has not been rectified. Remember Mrs. Sharma was talking about to _Nani_ that day about this?”

They remembered coming home from their classes one day to find their _Nani_ talking to the elderly lady. She was telling about how she and her husband had ended up in an alleyway in France, instead of the French Ministry of Magic. That was her main point of argument, but Nana won the argument when they enquired and found out that the necessary repairs were made. Obviously it failed.

Anusha said, “Yeah, I think so too, sis. Looks like we’re going to have to find a place to stay. Thankfully, we have money for that.” And so, they walked to the entrance of the village and looked around. The people were going on with their everyday jobs. It was very peaceful and quiet out here, the Twins noted as they looked around.

Suddenly, they heard multiple Apparations at once and screams of fright from the people. They looked around to find that people were running away from a group of men who were wearing masks and black robes. They became alert when one of them pointed a wand towards a woman who was clutching her child. Anya quickly took out her wand.

“ _Rictusempra!”_

The man was thrown away laughing from the mother and child, who stood and quickly ran away. But it turned the masked men’s attention on them. Two of them started dueling with Anya, who skillfully dodged and shielded against the spells, but she was straining herself. Anusha sighed and took out her wand and started shooting spells at the men, knocking one of them down.

_And here we go attracting trouble again…… Dad would certainly say ‘I told you so’...._

“You _had_ to go and do _that,_ sis?”Anusha called out to her.

“Well, he was hurting them for no reason!” Anya shouted back. Anusha shook her head, and went beside her twin to put up a front and coordinate.

“ _Stupefy_!”

“ _Expelliarmus_!”

“ _Petrifus totalus_!”

They were good, but it was getting a bit straining to keep on fighting with so many at once.

Just then, another group of men apparated there and started shooting spells on the masked men too. One of them, a gruff looking man with grizzly hair and a distorted face strode towards them and said, “Kids, it is dangerous for ya both to be ‘ere. You have fought and disarmed the Death Eaters. Now let the Aurors handle the situation. You both are too young for this.” 

The twins gave him a look which made him chuckle.

Just then, someone shouted, “MOODY!” and shot a purple colored spell at the Auror. Anya, knowing that the spell would disintegrate every bone in the old man’s body if it ever made contact, quickly countered with her shields and looked over to the man who looked shocked and livid. She smirked and shouted, “ _Carmina Fulgur_!!” A thunder bolt shot out from her wand and it hit the man. He was thrown back with a scream. Anya looked at the Auror and raised an eyebrow as if to say, ‘ _You were saying something?’_

The man was surprised, but nodded, “You’ve been trained for situations. That’s nice and proper!”

Just then, one of those men shot a curse at Anya and she was thrown back, who wasn’t looking at the time. She became unconscious courtesy of a deep wound that she now sported. Blood slowly came out of the wound and drenched side of her face and the ground.

“Anya!” Anusha shouted, and turned her attention to her twin. But that distraction proved to be bad for her, as she too, was knocked over by a blue light directed towards her. She fell on the ground, and she felt a sharp pain in her head which rendered her unconscious.

 ____----____----____

Anusha woke up with a feeling that she had been hit by a truck. She sat up on the bed with a groan. Oh gods, she thought, what happened? She touched her head and winced. She could feel the bandage wrapped around her head. A head injury from the way her head was spinning. No wonder she was feeling like this. She looked at her hands. Her right hand was broken. Any movement was rewarded with a sharp pain in her upper arm. She groaned and tried remembering what had exactly happened. It then hit her, coming to visit Papa and Granddad, landing in a small magical town instead, being attacked by masked men, Aurors (or whoever they were) arriving, getting hit by one of the masked men, then black.

_Well, now that’s how I’m sporting a bump on my head with a side order of a concussion, free with a hand fracture. Fantastic, just fantastic……._

She looked around to find rows and rows of cots in the room and being seated in a cot herself. Looked like an infirmary from the surroundings and the sterile and fresh smell. She turned to find her sister in a cot a few feet away. She looked fast asleep. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Trust her sister to be at ease sleeping god-knows-where.

“Don’t be a hypocrite, Anusha. I saw you doing the same when you were asleep.” Anya said, still half asleep. Anusha’s face turned pink at that admission.

“Oh shut up! Go to sleep, I’ll take in from here. We’ll talk later.” She ordered her twin gently. But the girl was already asleep.

She sighed and looked out of the window in front of her. The rays were pouring in from the window and giving an orange-ish glow to everything as the sun set in the horizon. The scenery was beautiful and calmed her mind a lot.

_What a way to end the day…. Portkey in the morning, fight in the afternoon, and infirmary in the evening….. Life is such a bitch….._

Just then, she turned her head away to see a woman wearing Matron’s robes came bustling in the screens, muttering something that sounded like ‘no young kid should fight those men’ under her breath. She looked at Anusha and smiled. Anusha smiled back politely.

“Ah, my dear! Thank goodness you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

“I feel fine, thank you. Could you please tell me where I am, ma’am?” Anusha asked, as the lady put a diagnostic charm on her. After a few moments, she hummed and said, “You are suffering a concussion, my dear. Also, the wound will take a while to heal. You need rest, lots of rest. Now, as for your question I’m sure Professor Dumbledore will answer it for you, my dear. He’s waiting outside. I’ll send him in.”

Anusha perked up at that name. She remembered the name from somewhere, but her Head injury almost made it impossible for her to remember where.

_Professor Dumbledore? Why does that name ring a bell?_

A man with a long white beard came in. He had baby blue eyes which seemed to be twinkling constantly, a crooked nose and a smile on his face. He looked at her and his already twinkling eyes seemed to twinkle more. She smiled a small smile, politely nodding at him.

“Ah, good evening my dear.” He wished her.

“Good evening.”

“How are you feeling?” He asked kindly, in a grandfatherly way.

“I feel fine sir, thank you. Can you please tell me where I am?” She asked, keeping a neutral expression, ready to jump to action all the while looking calm on the outside.

“You are at Hogwarts right now, my dear. We brought you both here after those men escaped. Apparently, you and your sister put up quite a fight against those men, as told to me by Auror Moody.”

But Anusha had long stopped listening, as her eyes widened at the mention of ‘Hogwarts’ and her brain went to autopilot.

_Wait, Hogwarts?! If this is Hogwarts, then that means that-_

“Headmaster?”

She turned wide eyed towards the sound of her father’s deep voice.

“Oh shit!” She muttered, putting her hand on her mouth in shock as she heard the voice.

“I’m here, Severus.” Professor Dumbledore said, turning a little to look at the end of the screen.

A man in black robes entered the area. He had shoulder length hair, obsidian eyes, a sharp face and thin lips. He had opened his mouth to speak to the Headmaster, but noticed Anusha sitting up on the cot and his eyes widened.

“Anusha?”

Anusha’s face wore a guilty and nervous expression as she laughed awkwardly.

“Hi, Papa.”

The men just looked on at her, shocked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was it... Please do comment... As I said before, it is going to be a bit difficult for me to update due to my exams, but I promise I'll do my best to add on new chapters...


	2. Introductions, explanations....... just the whole thing going forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.
> 
> Hiya everyone! This is the second chapter right here... please do tell me how it is...

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

_CHAPTER II_

Albus sharply turned to look at the girl, then at Severus. Papa?!?! He’s her-no _their_ father!?!?

“ _I beg your pardon?”_ Dumbledore uttered incredulously, looking between the two of them and finding the similarities immediately. The obsidian eyes, the same thin lips, the eyebrows that were raised by them both in the same way. He even saw the guarded expression that the girl had when he had first entered. Yes, there was no doubt about it; his spy was a father of two girls. For the first time in a very long time, Albus Dumbledore was utterly confused as he didn’t know what was actually going on.

_Okay Albus, focus… You’ve just found out that your Potions master is apparently involved with a woman and it is serious enough to the point of having children with her… Miracles do happen…_

Severus looked shocked himself, as he turned his head to his right. The other girl was fast asleep. Severus rolled his eyes and muttered something along the lines of ‘Sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings’, but he was still shocked. From the looks of it, he wasn’t expecting to see his daughters here either.

Albus looked on as Severus turned his head back to the girl in front of him and raised an eyebrow at her. The man’s expression turned into one that he usually reserved for interrogating one of his mischievous students, but he wasn’t saying a word.

Albus sighed. It was a clear indication from the Potions master to be left alone with one of his children. He relented, for now anyway. But he had something to think about in addition to this interesting revelation, if their magical prowess and Alastor’s report was any indication. But for now, he’d observe carefully.

“Severus, my boy, please, do excuse me; I feel that you might want to have this conversation with _one of your daughters,_ ” Albus said, with a look on his face that spoke clearly.

_I expect an explanation from you, young man..._

Severus finally turned his head at Albus’ direction hearing the undertone in the man’s voice. His jaw clenched for a second, knowing that he had to explain this to him quickly. He nodded after a few moments. Albus hummed and went out, patting the young professor’s shoulder as he did. Severus looked on silently as his employer went out.

As soon as Dumbledore was out of the screens, he turned back to Anusha, his expression stern and admonishing. Anusha shrugged helplessly, squirming a little under her father’s intense gaze. Severus sighed exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“You both are going to be the death of me,” he declared, making his way to his daughter and hugging her as tightly as he could, keeping in mind her injuries. The fifteen-year-old put her left arm around her father, hugging him as tightly as she could. He pulled away enough to examine her bandaged hand and head closely and shake his head exasperatedly.

“I think I have told you both countless of times that it isn’t safe for you both to be here. But as it always happens, you both don’t listen,” He berated her, huffing when she shrugged playfully.

“Sorry Papa. But I seem to remember telling you once that we were given lessons in defense against dark arts by Master Vikrant Singh! You know, the tall, burly man who’s one of _Nana’s_ close friends, one of the greatest DADA masters in the world, not to mention adept in Animangi and-”

“Stop it! This isn’t a game, Anusha! Those were the Death Eaters from the inner circles that you both so heroically fought!” he said to her sternly.

“I know that! Getting a fracture _and_ a head injury on the first day of our holidays is quite the proof! And it isn’t fun for us, you know!” 

“Then you both could have used your brains at least!” Severus retorted.

“Tell that to Anya! She started it by saving a woman and her child from one of those idiots!”

Severus sighed, his anger dissipating a little.

“Do your grandparents at least know you both are here?” He asked tiredly. Anusha huffed, looking at him angrily.

“Yes, they do! And that’s really rude, pointing the finger at us! It was _Nana’s_ idea this time! He wanted us to take a trip to Britain to visit you and Granddad! _Nani_ was against it, you know.”

“Yes, I knew I liked Sarakshi since day one,” Severus muttered, causing Anusha to chuckle.

“Anyways, _Nana_ had made arrangements for us at every single point – getting us to the ministry, making sure that we took all the necessary precautions and making sure Granddad was there the moment we touched down. It wasn’t our fault that those portkeys were malfunctioning again!”

Severus sighed again, muttering to himself and shaking his head.

Little did he know that Poppy had heard the whole conversation from outside the screens. Her eyes were alight with rage, ready to spit fire at the Potions Master.

“Severus Tobias Snape!” She shouted as she entered. Severus froze a little before he turned to look at the Mediwitch, who entered with a thunderous expression on her face. He clicked his tongue and grimaced.

_Oh, I’m a dead man…_

“How dare you, young man! I’ve known you since you were but an eleven year old! I’ve spent god-knows-how-much-time with you, trying to make you as well as possible as you lied on that cot, withering in pain from the cruciatus. I’ve seen you in naught but your knickers! I’ve healed every single injury that you had when you came back from those wretched meetings! And you don’t even tell me that you are a father, or perhaps that you are married for god knows how long! How could you?!” She shouted. Severus gulped a little as he looked at her murderous expression.

_I really should have cast ‘Muffliato’ before talking to Anusha…_

“Poppy, stop acting like this please. I can explain-” Severus started, but the Mediwitch interrupted him.

“I would love to listen to your explanation, young man! And I’m sure even Minerva would love to have this particular conversation with me.”

“No way-”

“And why not?!” A quiet, angry, Scottish voice came from outside the screens. Severus nearly face-palmed as he heard it.  He had a comical expression on his face. Anusha raised her eyebrows at that expression.

Severus groaned as Minerva McGonagall, along with Dumbledore, entered the area. She had a thunderous expression on her normally stern face, while Albus looked at him sympathetically. Albus decided to intervene.

“Minerva, please, let's not be hasty. Let him tell us his reasons for hiding such a thing from us.”

The Gryffindor head looked at her mentor and employer for a few moments, her jaw clenched. She then nodded quickly and whipped her head in Anusha’s direction. The girl flinched a little, but she just said, “Scoot a little, lass. I’d love to hear your Daddy’s explanation.”

Anusha gladly obliged and smirked playfully as her Papa glared a death glare at her. She leant back against the headboard, looking at the scene with barely hidden amusement. It was truly a sight to behold. Her father was standing there with a priceless expression on his face, while the women were both looking giving him the death glare. If looks had the power to kill, Papa would’ve been dead over a billion times now. Albus was standing there with a mask of pure sympathy on his face, but his eyes twinkled with amusement.

_And here I thought that that pose was all Ma. I didn’t realize that we had got this from Papa. This reminds me the time when we had snuck out from our beds at night to take a trip into the forests near the Maurya Mansion on our new broomsticks… God, the look on Papa’s face when he found us….. that was one hell of a lecture we got…_

Anusha snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the first question.

“Well, young man, do you have anything to say for yourself?” Minerva barked at him. Severus sighed and looked at his colleague and friend and straightened himself.

“No,” He uttered. The women looked at him disbelievingly.

“ _NO?!_ ” Minerva uttered incredulously.

“You heard it, Minerva! ‘No’! It was important that I kept them safe so I let them stay in India.”

“And your definition of ‘safe’ included not telling _us_?!” Poppy interjected anger and hurt lacing her tone.

“Yes. I apologize, but I had to!”

“How could you have not told us of this? We knew you for almost 25 years! First as a student, then as a colleague and friend! You are almost like my surrogate son! Why didn’t you tell me this?” Minerva asked, hurt evident in her eyes.

“I did it for their safety, Minerva! It wasn’t healthy here, what with the intense scrutiny and suspicions and allegations against me! At least they are safe with their Grandparents! If I told you and Albus, then at some point, Augusta would’ve known, then she would go and blurt it out to Molly Weasley, and knowing her, she would get it out to Emmeline and her ‘tea party’, and then one by one the whole Order would’ve known by the evening! And, knowing morons like Mundungus Fletcher, I am sure that the whole of the Wizarding world would’ve known by next morning! And last, but not the least by a long shot, The Dark Lord and his inner circle would’ve known! I would’ve been left with three choices – Either I would kill myself, be killed by HIM and his henchmen, or submit my girls to him and hope and pray that they survive the day! Either way, my life and the girls’ life would’ve been over, for they wouldn’t have been able to handle losing both their parents!” He finished, taking a deep breath to get himself under control.

Minerva and Poppy’s anger dissipated as they looked at them both.

“Losing _both_ their parents?” Minerva repeated, looking at Severus, dreading the answer, but still wishing it wasn’t what she thought.

Severus looked away, not wanting to answer the question. It was too painful for him to answer.

The three adults turned to Anusha as she cleared her throat to get their attention.

“Ma… was murdered five years ago. It was brutal, and it was painful for all of us, especially for Papa.”

Silence reigned for a few moments.

“Is the murderer-” Albus started.

“Yes, he’s caught and he’s dead. She was going to expose him to the ministry for smuggling various muggle drugs, addictive potions, women and Occamy shells. He came to know through his sources in the ministry. So, he got her killed and the files destroyed. But Ma had one copy made, just in case. She sent it to Papa, who then finished the work Ma had started.”

The Gryffindor head stood up, and went to her friend and colleague. She just stayed there for a few moments, before saying, “I’m sorry for your loss Severus. I know how it feels like to lose your spouse before their time and understand how hard it is to live without them.”

He said nothing to that, but she saw his jaw clench a little. Sighing, she put a hand on his cheek and made him look at her. The pain in his eyes was unmistakable. She offered no other words, instead choosing to embrace him tightly as she stroked his head. He didn’t push her away, but instead leaned a little into the embrace and pulled away gently after a few moments.

“She must be worth of all the tears that you’ve had in your eyes these past years,” She said, stroking his cheek gently.

“She was way more than my tears, Minerva,” He said, straightening up and getting back his composure.

“I am still angry with you, you know. And it is going to take a lot for me to calm down.” Minerva said, folding her arms across her chest. Severus scoffed, his pain subsiding. Minerva cracked a small smirk, which was returned to her as he shook his head.

“Like I don’t know that, McGonagall.”

____----____----____

Anya slowly opened her eyes to find herself wrapped in a soft blanket which had a sterile smell to it. She felt a little dizzy and her head throbbed with pain. She clenched her jaw as she touched her forehead to feel the bandage wrapped around it. Just the feel of the bandage increased the pain. Her hands were well, though. Only a few starches and bruises. Master Singh’s lessons paid off after all. He would’ve been proud, before scolding them badly for getting distracted.

 _Well, we would’ve deserved it…. I would’ve… I slept like a bloody rock in totally unfamiliar surroundings… though I have no idea if it was a dream that I heard Papa and a few more voices..._  

She looked around to observe her surroundings curiously. It was a plain white room with cots lined one after another and neatly made up beds. It smelled fresh, sterile, like a hospital, which made Anya crinkle her nose. The positive side was the huge windows which let the room fill with the soft, orange glow of the sunset on the Horizon. It was quite a beautiful scene.

She looked on the other side to find her sister surrounded by people.

“Anusha?” She called out confusedly. The others, along with Anusha turned to look at her.

“Hey!” Anusha called out to her, waving with her left arm. Anya raised an eyebrow at her twin’s broken arm and was answered with a shrug.

 Anya took her time to look at each individual. The one sitting beside Anusha on her bed was a severe, middle aged woman who was wearing Tartan Robes. She had beautiful emerald green eyes, grayish brown eyebrows, a sharp nose, thin lips and a strict face which had the beginnings of wrinkles. Her slightly graying hair was swept in a high bun that made her intimidating.

Beside the witch, stood another witch, _presumably the Mediwitch here_ , she thought. She looked about the same age as the woman beside her, give or take a year. She was a little plump, had honey colored hair with quite a few number of grays in between, had a small-ish nose, and full lips. Her face had quite a few frown lines on it. Anya was a little unnerved when the woman looked at her, scrutinizing her, as if she’d find an injury that was hidden from her.

The man beside the mediwitch looked like one of those Merlin reincarnations. Or even Santa Claus’. Long beard, wizened baby blue eyes ( _what an oxymoron! she thought_ ) wrinkled face, crooked nose- he looked like the storybook version of a grandfather. But there was something… something eerie about him, something suspicious. And his eyes… she almost saw a glint, before it disappeared. She decided to ignore it for now.

And beside him, stood the very man she had missed for the last two years. Her face brightened with a blinding smile. She got an exasperated smirk in return.

“Papa!” She exclaimed, immediately getting off the bed to embrace him, but her head started spinning as she fought a wave of nausea. She slumped on the bed in a daze and clutched her head, barely avoiding letting out the contents of her stomach. The resulting pain made her groan loudly.

“Easy there, Anya. It’s probably a concussion.”

“Nope, it’s just a slight head injury-“

“No, young lady, it isn’t just a small head injury! You are not going anywhere for the next few days! Not till I say it’s alright!” Madame Pomfrey said, bustling over to her and checking over her injuries.

“Don’t be daft! It’s nothing! I’m fine, see?” She argued as she tried standing up again, and her nausea came back tenfold. Madame Pomfrey gently pushed her down on the bed to sit her again.

“Now, young madam, you’re going to stay in your bed until I tell you otherwise. The same goes for you too,” The mediwitch said, looking between them both.

“And if you even think of escaping, I’ll stick you both to your beds! Understood?” She said, putting her hands on her hips and looking at them in a very menacing way. Even their _Nani_ had not given them that look since that hair accident when they were twelve. They gulped and nodded. Poppy shook her head and muttered, “Just like their father!”

A few moments later, Anya was settled back into the bed. She looked at her father confusedly.

“How did _you_ know we’re here? Are _Nana_ and _Nani_ here too?” The last part was said with underlying fear. Severus rolled his eyes, as the others chuckled.

“Nope. We’re at Hogwarts, sis,” Anusha answered the first part as Severus went to her twin’s bedside.

“And I’ve not told your grandparents. Well, not yet anyway,” He answered the second part, before sitting down beside her and embracing Anya tightly, resting his chin on top of her head. She wrapped her arms around his waist, embracing him back just as tightly. Her face was hidden in the folds of his robes. She smelled her father’s familiar smell- Books, parchment, leather, and herbs and that hint of cologne Ma had bought him (Seems like he has finally learnt how to brew that particular mixture, she noted) and sighed contentedly.  

He stroked her head softly and frowned when he felt the bandage on her head. He leaned away just so he could see her head. He turned his attention to her upturned face. His eyes stared back at him, with _her_ curious expression. He smiled a small smile before giving the girls both stern looks.

“Now that we’ve got the pleasantries out of the way, explain yourselves.”

 “Well-”

“We had just given our Fourth year examinations, Papa,” Anusha interrupted her sister. Her twin glared at her and stuck her tongue out at her. Anusha rolled her eyes and continued, “We had done well, with O’s in six of the subjects-Potions, Transfiguration, Runes, Arithimancy, History of Magic and Defense, and E’s in the other four- Astronomy, Herbology, Sanskrit, and Latin.”

Anya continued, “As a reward, _Nana_ decided to send us to Britain for our holidays. He had made all the arrangements – The portkey, the duration of stay, making sure that his appointed guards were there to keep watch on us, and that Granddad was there the moment we arrived. He even had the Portkey tested, to be sure.”

“And it still wasn’t enough,” Severus interjected exasperatedly, shaking his head.

“Did you really expect anything else with our luck?” Anya commented incredulously.

Anusha picked up from where they had left off.

“Because of some fault in the portkey it transported us to the outskirts of a muggle village instead of transporting us to the British ministry. Thankfully, we were prepared; _Nana_ had given us some muggle money too, so we decided to look for some place to go to so that we’d contact Granddad from there. But as we entered the village, lo and behold! Masked men apparated there and started firing spells, creating panic, ruckus and going crazy. And, as it _always_ happens, Anya decided to jump in and save the day, getting her ass in line in the process-”

“Hey!” Anya said, giving a death glare to her sister.

“Language!” Severus warned.

“-so I had to go and help her out. We defended ourselves pretty well till another group apparated in the area and started getting the situation under control.”

“I got distracted, one of those masked idiots hit me with a spell and I was knocked unconscious, getting a huge bump on my head as a parting gift from that jerk. And from the looks of it, Anusha followed me not long after.”

After listening to the Twins’ side of story, Severus stood quietly for a few moments.

“You both just can’t have a proper, quiet day, could you? Even the precautions your _Nana_ took weren’t enough! I’ll suffer a heart coronary at this rate! I have half the mind to lock you both up till you both are thirty! You know, it really isn’t a good idea to…”

Anya and Anusha shared a quiet smile as he used that tone of his voice which he normally reserved for mischievous students, totally unperturbed by the tone of his voice. Severus stopped after a while and looked at the two of them for some time, before sighing and shaking his head, muttering something under his breath, ‘girls’ and ‘incorrigible’ being the only words they heard.

“Well, I suppose we’ll leave you three to it. Severus, my dear boy, you’ll find me in my office after supper, if you still wish to discuss the curriculum and the placements of the houses. The password is the same as before. Have a good day,” Dumbledore spoke up after a few moments, looking at the three of them with twinkling eyes. Minerva and Poppy nodded to them, getting up as well. The twins turned their heads to each other.

_“You know what I think is suspicious, Anya?”_

_“Yeah, I do.”_

_“You’re free to do the honors.”_

_“With pleasure.”_

“Wait, Headmaster,” Anya called out. All the heads turned in her direction curiously, waiting for her to say what was on her mind.

“If you don’t mind, could you answer my query?” Anya asked. Albus chuckled.

“I’ll try my best, my dear child,” He answered warmly.

“Why are we in Hogwarts? Why aren’t we in that hospital… St. Mungo’s?” Anya asked, looking at her father for conformation, who nodded and turned his head to his employer.

“No offense to you ma’am,” Anusha interjected, looking at Madame Pomfrey apologetically, “But logically, anyone would send us to this… St. Mungo’s without even thinking twice. So, why treat us here… in a school infirmary, sir?”

Albus was quiet for a few moments, looking at them carefully. His eyes weren’t twinkling anymore and he regarded them with a serious expression.

_Well, they do know how to ask their questions… Well put and in the middle of witnesses… They’re very good…_

He blinked back to reality and smiled at them benignly.

“I wanted to thank you both, for saving the woman and the child and helping the group of Aurors out there. I do like to see bravery in youngsters. Especially now, when so many of our own are backing off from taking actions that they feel would put them in a bad light and may attract attention from these Death Eaters and Voldemort.”

 _Also, I wanted to know your identities… Keeping an eye on you both would’ve been easy then…_ flashed in his mind too. Minerva and Poppy seemed to accept the explanation, flinching when he said ‘Voldemort’. The twins and Severus said nothing, but kept looking as Albus nodded to them and walked out of the area.

Albus sighed tiredly as soon as he was out of the infirmary.

_That removes all doubts from my mind… they are Severus’ daughters… That does bring me to think on quite a few things…_

____----____----____

 _“Crucio!”_ A snake like voice hissed at the man in front of him. He fell to his knees, gritting his teeth in pain from the spell, before dropping to the ground, screaming and withering in pain.

Voldemort screamed in anger and frustration, increasing the power behind the spell and having little satisfaction at the way the man withered more than ever.

_Oh, they are so easy to break… Just one bout of Cruciatus and look at him - a screaming, whimpering mess… How pathetic…_

“You are telling me that two _teenage girls_  put up a fight with _fully grown men_ in the middle of a village and defeated some of them!?”

No one dared to open their mouths. There was a pin-drop silence in the room. Every single one in the room was terrified of their Master.

Their ‘Lord’ let the man in front of him wither for a few more minutes, before lifting the spell off him. He started pacing angrily, thinking about his failed plan.

The tortured man was a sweating, trembling mess. He groaned loudly in pain.

 _“Avada Kedavra!”_ Voldemort hissed, pointing the wand at the groaning man in front of him, already fed up of the noise. A flash of green light hit the man and he slumped, his eyes open wide and lifeless as he stared at the ceiling.

Voldemort turned to the remaining followers in the room. All of them flinched badly as he made eye contact with each and every one of them.

“Parkinson!” He barked out to a tall, stocky man at the back. The man scrambled to his feet and all but ran to the front.

“Y-yes, my Lord?”

He barely controlled himself not to stumble backwards as the Dark Lord rounded up on him suddenly.

“I want their names. I want to know who they are. _And I want the information immediately! Do you hear me?_ ” Voldemort screamed, some spit hitting Parkinson’s face as he spoke. Parkinson nodded vehemently.

“Yes, my Lord!”

“Good.”

Parkinson bowed to him, before backing off.

“Lucius!” Voldemort hissed, calling the tall, blonde albino before him. The man came and bowed to him.

“Yes, my Lord?”

“Tell me, how far along are you with your assignment?”

“Fudge has been manipulated successfully, my Lord. He is willing to hear everything we tell him and use it against Dumbledore and his side.”

“Have you found out the whereabouts of young Harry?”

“No, my Lord. He is taken to a secure location, my Lord. We need to keep on looking.” Lucius answered warily, willing himself not to look at the man standing in front of him.

“Well," Voldemort began after a few moments, "you may not have to do it anymore Lucius.” Voldemort hissed, smirking. His eyes were blood-red as he looked ahead, a plan formed in his mind as he thought of what he had discovered earlier that day.

_It starts now… Harry Potter… soon, you’ll be in my control and then, you’ll be out of my way… for good..._

Hundreds of miles away, in a shabby, smelly, desolate house, a fifteen year old boy with unruly hair and thunder like scar on his forehead groaned painfully, thrashing a little against the mattress. His scar glistened a little with blood as he groaned again…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I'd love to hear from all of you... Please comment....


	3. A bit of peace.. sort of like the calm before the storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.
> 
> Hiya everyone! So, this is the third chapter... Sorry... I took a bit of time for typing this out... But its done and here we are! This is like a little bit of peace before the pace picks up... Hope you like it! And also, all grammatical mistakes that I may have made are my fault... And I'll correct them as soon as possible...

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

_CHAPTER III_

Though they kept the mood light enough while describing the Death Eaters, it hadn’t escaped them that they were almost killed by those same Death Eaters. It was thankfully due to Master Singh’s special lessons that they were a little safe. But the injuries were actually very serious. So, they were under the strict care of Madame Pomfrey. A lot of things happened in that time.

The day after they fought the Death Eaters, the doors of the infirmary burst open as Vikram, Sarakshi, and Raman all rushed in. The twins looked on with raised eyebrows and slightly fearful expressions as they entered. Madame Pomfrey wasn’t there at the moment, so Severus had accompanied them.

 _“Oh no…”_ Anusha whimpered through their mental connection.

 _“Yeah sis, we are so dead…”_ Anya groaned back.

“Where are they?” Vikram demanded as he entered.

“Where are my _bacchas?_ ” Sarakshi shouted out like a madwoman as she entered behind him.

The only calm ones among them were Raman and Severus, who had entered last.

“Alright, both of you calm down-” Raman began.

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Raman Acharya!” Sarakshi interrupted him loudly.

“ _Nani_?” Anya called out in a small voice. All three heads snapped in their direction.

“ _Ohh, my Bacchas!_ ” Sarakshi exclaimed as she took in their injuries and all but ran to them. She went to Anya, while Vikram rushed to Anusha.

“ _Nana_ , its fine. We’re fine,” Anusha said, squirming as he poked and prodded at her bandages and a broken arm.

“Don’t you dare give me that! You both just fought some of the most ruthless men of that wretched group! It is bad enough that your father has to spy on them!” Sarakshi gushed at them, looking over to both of them frantically, checking if both of them are really fine, much to the mortification of the twins. Raman winked at them and smiled. The twins smiled back. 

Meanwhile, Vikram calmed himself enough to see that they were fine enough and sighed a little in relief. An action which didn’t go unnoticed by anyone present. Raman shook his head and closed his eyes, while the twins and Severus grimaced.

 _“Uh oh…”_ Anusha murmured through the connection.

Sarakshi rounded up on Vikram.

“This was _your_ plan, wasn’t it? You said that you had taken all precautions!”  She shouted at him, going closer to him. Vikram backed up a little.

“I had! It wasn’t _my_ fault!” He said defensively.

“Oh, really? Then how is it that they got transported in the middle of a _fight_ , Vikram?” She retorted.

“The portkeys must be malfunctioning again!” He said as if it gave the explanation to everything.

“Then you should’ve checked _again_!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands up her head.

“I did!” He shot back.

“When?” She asked him sharply. Vikram faltered at that.

“A week ago,” He said in a small voice.

“Vikram, this isn’t some joke going on! Something serious could’ve happened!”

“ _Nani_ , it didn’t,” Anusha stated, stressing on the sentence.

“You could’ve died!” Sarakshi shouted, turning to Anusha.

“Nothing happened, _Nani_! We’re fine! We’re with Papa and we’re safe! Nothing is going to happen; we are not going to be in danger again!” Anya stated decisively, Anusha nodding all along.

Sarakshi’s anger dissipated as soon as she looked at her granddaughters and broke down crying, the stress and tension getting to her. She rested her head against her husband’s chest, while he rubbed her back comfortingly.

The twins sighed and turned to Raman, who smiled at them.

“Hello, _Mama,_ ” The girls greeted him.

“Hello there, kids. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to drop you both to the Ministry. I had a lot of work to do. Your _Nana’s_ business partners are going to come to India in a week. I had to tend to all the arrangements.”

“It’s alright, _Mama_. You came here,” Anya said, smiling at him.

“Yeah, and it’s a good thing that you did. Else _Nani_ would have throttled _Nana_ while coming here,” Anusha said, snickering.

Raman chuckled.

“Your parents were so different from these two,” Raman reminisced, smiling nostalgically. The twins snorted.

“Yeah. Though they had their fights and bickering many times, they were still so in sync with one another.”

“They had their differences too, Anya. Ma was a Quidditch fanatic. She would go crazy over the Quidditch scores the same way Papa would go crazy at the Potions journal he reads. They debated too. You remember?” Anusha asked, looking at her twin, who chuckled at the memory.

“Oh, yes! It was like a constant tennis match between those two!”  Anya said, shaking her head at that.

“Papa won those a lot,” Anusha remembered. Severus smirked at her.

“Of course I did,” He muttered smugly. Raman gave him a look before an idea struck him.

“And that makes me want to remind you both _again,_ that once, your father used to think that Amisha and I were courting each other,” Raman said mischievously, looking at Severus, who glared at him.

“Alright, you can shut up now. It’s been nineteen years since that incident. When will you let that go?” Severus groaned. Raman snickered at his expression.

“Seriously, I was her adopted brother! When did we ever give that kind of signal to one another?”

“Look, I was sixteen! What do you expect from me?”

“To be more level-headed,” Raman retorted, shrugging. Severus huffed and looked away.

“You could’ve asked her, you know!” Raman said, smirking amusedly.

“Yes, and I’d love to remind you _yet again_ that it has been _ninete_ _en years_ since that incident!”

The girls giggled at the bantering between them both.

Raman Acharya wasn’t really their uncle by blood. His father, Pradyumdh Acharya, was a close friend of Vikram’s. Raman had been living with the Mauryas since he was fourteen. He was orphaned at the age of nine; his parents died in a train accident. He was an only child. When it came to Raman’s family, they refused to adopt him and instead put him in an orphanage under an assumed identity and declared him dead to the rest of the world. They then sought to take over his inheritance, which wasn’t difficult at all.

When Vikram came to know about this, it was already late. Raman was in someplace, and his inheritance was gone. Vikram searched for him and found him in a juvenile home somewhere in South India. He took him in as his ward and trained him to help him in his business.

They all had stayed with them until the afternoon. That’s when Raman had informed the elder Mauryas that they were getting late and there was still a lot to do for tomorrow. Sarakshi was reluctant to let her granddaughters stay here, but she relented when Vikram reminded her that they had their father here.

“Take care of yourselves here. If there is any problem, you can let your father know. We are all here for you,” She said, hugging each of her granddaughters tightly.

“Get yourselves healed. Then have lots of fun. Don’t do any mischief that will get your father gray hairs at his age. Be careful,” Vikram said, kissing each of the girls’ foreheads. They nodded at him, smiling brightly.

“Yes, _Nana_ ,” They answered together, waving them goodbye as they turned to walk out.

“I’ll escort them out,” Severus said, following his in-laws as they walked out of the door, closing it behind him.

____----____----___

They knew that their Granddad Septimus was protective of them, even more so now. Granddad was Papa’s uncle and looked somewhat like him, though he had short black hair which was combed back. Not a hair of his was out of place, ever. His sharp features were strict most of the time, though his eyes always softened when he looked at them. He was a bit shorter than Papa, but that didn’t make him any less frightening.

He stormed in the infirmary in the evening with Papa beside him. He spotted them sitting on their own cots eating some broth; they weren’t allowed to eat anything solid, as it would be too much for their body to handle right now.

“Merlin’s sake, you two! Fighting off Death Eaters on the first day of Holidays! Somehow, I’m not even surprised anymore! Why did you both have to join in like a pair of hormonal boys? Can’t you both have just slipped away from them?” Septimus raged.

“And let those _monsters_ kill a woman and her child? Really, Granddad? I know for a fact that if you had been in our position, you’d have done the same! Hell, any self-respecting and honorable wizard or witch would’ve done the same!”  Anya said, looking at him defiantly.

“Yes, I would’ve! Because I’m a grown wizard! You both are children! Do you realize what you both were up against? Those Death Eaters are some of the most ruthless beings in the world right now! They have a reputation! They don’t see any difference between man, woman, and child, whether it be wizard folk or muggle! You both could’ve died!”

“Granddad, we’re fine. These injuries would only last a few more days. Then we’ll all be going to the Prince Manor, with you. We’ll be safe, and we’ll be right in front of you,” Anusha said soothingly, trying to calm her granddad.

He looked at them both for a few long moments, before his expression wavered and he sighed. He pressed a kiss on each of his granddaughters’ head softly.

“No. You both stay here with your father,” Septimus breathed out finally. Both the girls looked at him confusedly.

“Why?” Anya asked hurt flashing in her eyes, “You don’t want us to come?”

“Oh no, my child! I just want you both to be safe. You see, HE has his eyes set on me. We’re the Princes. We have a lot of influence, not political influence like that slime, Lucius Malfoy, but we have the influence through our business. And HE thinks that if HE has me under HIS thumb, then HE would be able to yield more power. I don’t want you both to stay in that place right now. You both would just recover from these injuries. If he get wind of you both, then he could and would use you both against me. And I don’t want that, ever,” He said, pressing his hand against their faces. They nodded to him.

“But, what about you, Uncle?” Papa asked, looking at him concernedly. Granddad looked at him with a thin, sharp smile on his face.

“Don’t worry, Severus. I’ll be fine. If worse comes to worse, I’ll go into hiding,” He said firmly, nodding to him in determination.

He stayed till late at night, till Poppy had somehow shooed him out of the infirmary, telling him that they needed their rest.

“Alright then,” Septimus said, standing up and kissing them on the forehead again, “I’ll see you both later.”

“Yep, Granddad!” Anusha said, hugging him tightly. He embraced her just as tightly, a rare smile on his face.

“Be careful Granddad!” Anya said as she hugged him, burying her face against his chest. He chuckled and hugged her.

“You too, my girls! Goodnight!” He said.

“I’ll be back,” Severus said, walking beside his uncle. They could hear them speaking in hushed tones as they closed the doors of the infirmary behind them.  

When they were finally deemed well enough after two weeks by Madame Pomfrey, they were allowed to leave the infirmary.

“Finally,” Anusha sighed as she got up from her cot, as Madame Pomfrey undid all the bandages that Anya had.

“Yes, I know that feeling,” Anya replied as she wriggled her toes in anticipation. Severus snorted and shook his head.

“Where’s your luggage?”He asked as they stood up and walked over to him.

“They were in our pockets. Nana had shrunk them,” Anya answered her father.

“Ah, well. Then they would be in my quarters then. The elves would automatically send any personal artifacts that are found in the clothes,”  Severus explained, looking at the two of them.

“Well,” Madame Pomfrey began, “Now, just because you both are out of here doesn’t mean that you will be exerting yourself. I want you both to come here as soon as you feel dizzy. You can also speak to me whenever you want. And also, take a nap in between; you both are weak right now and you need your rest.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am,” The girls replied, smiling at the mediwitch, who softened a little.

“Yes, yes. Shoo now. I don’t want you both booking a spot here,” Poppy said, waving them towards the doors.

As the three walked out of the infirmary, the twins looked around the huge, long corridors and the high ceilings in awe.

 “Just how huge is this castle, Papa?” Anusha asked as they passed on the windows. She looked out to see a lake sprawling across the front and the dense forests on the sides.

“Whoa,” Anya breathed, as she looked out of the window. She looked down to see the bottom. She couldn’t see the bottom of the castle. She backed off from the window, feeling a little overwhelming.

“Well, it is very large. And very dangerous for those who enter for the first time. So, before you make plans to go on another adventure in a huge, dangerous castle, remember this. Even I don’t know what kind of traps there are, what kind of magical creatures you can find here. Yes, there are professors in here, some of them being the strongest, but I still want you both to be careful. Stay in those parts of the castle which is commonly inhabited by others. Don’t go venturing alone out here. And don’t even think about going out into one of those forests, understood?” Severus warned them both.

“We didn’t think of going into the forests,” Anusha said innocently, shrugging.

“Oh, really? And I was thinking of wearing a tutu for lunch,” Severus retorted, rolling his eyes as he walked ahead.

“It would suit you, you know,” Anya commented, smirking cheekily, as she and her twin followed, snickering.

“Cheeky,” Severus muttered, smirking and ruffling both their heads as they caught up with him.

The trio didn’t notice a pair of twinkling blue eyes observing them as they walked to the end of the corridor and take a left to go to the dungeons.

Albus smiled at them, shaking his head.

_His daughters are cheeky enough to turn the conversation on him and get away with it…_

Albus expression turned serious again.

_But, I wonder if… they are the Maurya Heiresses… One of the Royale 15… a group of the most powerful families in the world… and some of them including the Mauryas are the oldest families in the Wizarding history… I wonder if they are as skilled as I think…_

_____----____----_____

“Well, these quarters aren’t bad,” Anusha commented, looking around the clean, fresh smelling quarters. The rooms were quite simple-looking in their décor, with a dark green and grey theme. There were some journals stacked neatly on the table. There was a huge, black couch in front of the fireplace. There was a corridor to the side, having four doors, two on each side. Two of the three walls were lined up neatly with huge tomes of varying thickness arranged in alphabetical order.

 Her gaze immediately went to the bookshelves and her eyes widened at seeing some of the tomes that were there. She went closer to check them out.

“You have been quite busy here,” Anusha commented, reading the title of one of the tomes.

“Oh, yes. These are my collection. Feel free to use them whenever you wish,” Severus said, taking out a tome and looking at it reverently.

“Really?” Anya asked, her eyes brightening.

“Yes. Go on. But do remember, I want them back on the same spot in the same condition as they had been before,” Severus warned them both. They nodded, rolling their eyes at him.

“Papa, we know how to handle books,” Anya said to him exasperatedly, Anusha nodding all the while.

“Ah of course you do. That is why you both had almost set your Grandparents’ library on fire when you both were thirteen,” Severus retorted, looking at them both with a raised eyebrow. The girls turned beet red, remembering the incident.

“It was a tiny mistake!” Anya groaned, hiding her face.

“That was two years ago! Could you please stop reminding us of that?” Anusha whined.

“No. There were some of my favorite books in there. So, please do remember that the books are to be handled carefully, okay?”

“Yes,” The girls mumbled, looking down. He sighed.

“Okay, you both can read the books later. Sit down. Tell me, how have you both been?” He asked, gesturing them to the couch. The girls sat down on either side of him.

“Good,” Anya answered, staring at the fireplace. Severus frowned at her answer.

“Are you sure? Because I heard you nearly hexed one of your cousins, Anya,” He said, looking at her sternly. Anya groaned.

“He was being an asshole, as usual. I know you tell us to control, but he went a step further and insulted Ma and you this time,” She said, her expression furious as she crossed her arms petulantly. Severus shared a look with Anusha.

“I was helping out _Nani_ with the food,” She said, shrugging. Severus sighed and turned back to Anya, who had retreated back into the couch, hands crossed tightly.

“Sweetheart, it doesn’t matter! Your cousins are just jealous because they feel that they would make better heads of the family! Don’t let them get under your skin, okay? Just ignore them. You both are way better than they would ever be, you know that,” Severus said, pulling them both close to him. Anya buried her head against his shoulder, while Anusha laid her head on his lap, sprawling across the couch. He ran his fingers through her soft hair comfortingly.

 “Yes, but I get angry, Papa,” Anya explained, looking down at her hands.

“Yes, that is exactly why I taught you both occlumency. So that you don’t let people get to you,”

“Master Singh was angry that she lost control,” Anusha commented. 

“Well, he would be. He had been training you both for four years. He had been giving you special defense lessons, which only select few get to learn. He had expected more control from you both,” Severus reprimanded them a bit sternly.

“Yes, Papa,” Anya said, resting her face against his cravat and sighing. He smiled a little; it always felt nice to have them both against his side snugly.

“It’s alright. But do control yourselves, okay?” He said, kissing each of their foreheads softly.

“Yes, Papa,” both of them answered together.

 _My little girls,_ He thought fondly, tightening his grip on them both. They stayed together like that till lunch, talking softly about what happened for the past two years since they had last met him.

“So, what’s it like, Papa? Teaching here?” Anusha asked curiously, as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. Her father snorted at the question. She and her twin turned their heads to look at him, as they ascended the steps to the staircase.

“I can only say this – you both are way ahead of your peers,” Severus said, as they descended the Grand Staircase.

“That bad, huh?” Anya asked from the other side, raising her eyebrows at him.

“Oh, no my dears. Your father is slightly exaggerating,” said a voice from behind them. They turned to see Dumbledore walking towards them. He was wearing orange and purple robes with green color constellations on them, which were silver in color, which was getting reflected by the sun rays. The twins winced at the clash of colors hurting their eyes.

“Nice choice of robes sir,” Anya said sarcastically.

“Why, thank you, my dear! I thought they would be good for today! They’re quite new!” Dumbledore said, smiling brightly. The girls snorted and shook their heads at him.

“Now back to the topic at hand. You father is exaggerating. There are quite a few good and very talented students in this school, both in past and in present, all of whom have gone on to lead the ministry and even hold high positions!”

“Oh, yes, of course! Cornelius Fudge is a _very talented_ person, girls,” Severus said sarcastically, causing the girls to chuckle. Albus shot him a look.

“Oh, Severus, my boy, he is just misguided!”

“ _Oh really_? I can name _a few more_ people who are oh-so-talented enough,” Severus retorted as they entered the Great Hall.

The girls stopped at the entrance of the huge gold doors that led to a very large, spacious room with large windows on the front and to the left of the room. There were four long tables lined up from one end of the hall to another. The ceiling was high, but what was amazing about it was the view of the sky. It was as if there was no ceiling. It showed the clear blue sky with a few scattered around. They loved it.

“Whoa,” Anya uttered, chuckling in awe as she looked around.

“I love magic,” Anusha said, looking up at the ceiling with unconditioned wonder. Albus smiled at them. It was at moments like these that he remembered why he applied for teaching; to see the wonder and the thirst for knowledge in a child’s eyes as they saw something new.

“Ah, it certainly does wonders!” A squeaky voice ahead of them said. They snapped their attention in front to see a dwarf-ish man standing in front of them. He was no more than two feet tall and wore black robes over his coat and tie ensemble and had well- combed hair and a mustache. Grey rimmed glasses perched on his nose as he looked at them with wide, curious grayish-blue eyes.

“Good afternoon, Fillius,” Their father and Albus wished him politely.

“Girls, I want you to meet Professor Filius Flitwick. He is the Charms Master and the Head Of Ravenclaw house,” Severus said to them both.

“Good afternoon sir,” they greeted him, nodding their heads, Anusha shaking hands with him, followed by Anya.

“Good afternoon my dears!” The dwarf said, looking up at them and smiling.

“Fillius,” Severus said, steeling himself, “These are my daughters, Anusha and Anya Maurya Snape.”

The man looked at him, his eyes wide as gallons as he processed what the Potions professor just said. Silence reigned for a few moments; he looked at them and Severus, spotting the similarities immediately.

“I… I can’t formulate a response,” Was all that he was able to say.

“You just did,” Severus retorted.

“How… how old…”

“They just turned fifteen this May,” Severus said, deciding to come clean with his fellow colleague, trusting him enough to not spread this.

“Oh. So I assume that you’ve been married for more than fifteen years?”

“Yes.”

Fillius regained his composure, looking at the two of them appraisingly.

“Well, they are fine young ladies,” He commented, smiling warmly at them. The girls smiled back and inclined their heads.

“Come now, we can have this conversation during lunch too,” Fillius said, gesturing them to the tables. There were few people present during this time of summer. There was the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, Madame Pomfrey, Filius Flitwick, Severus and the girls. The rest of the staff was on holiday.

It was weird to stay in a huge, quiet castle with only a handful of people to keep them company. Correction, Anusha thought, as she and her twin dodged yet another onslaught of sewage water that that bloody poltergeist, Peeves, tried to pour on them.  It was weird to stay in a large, quiet castle with only a handful of _living_ people to keep them company. They had plenty of opportunities to go out to the school Quidditch pitch and play for some time, or walk on the shore near the black lake on a quiet, sunny day, or even do a little exploring of their own. They even found the topmost tower of the castle, the Astronomy tower. The view from the top there was something to behold, seeing the school surrounded by forests and the black lake from all sides was fantastic.

They also found a door appearing out of nowhere in the Seventh-floor corridor.

Actually, Anya was talking about one of her favorite muggle books, _the famous five_ , and how she had lost it and wasn’t able to find it since then.

“I wish I could find it soon. I loved that book! Ma had given me that book on our eighth birthday, remember?” Anya reminisced, with a faraway look in her eyes.  Anusha smiled sadly.

“Yeah, I know. We’ll find it one day,” She answered, just as they walked along that particular area.

As they walked to the end, Anya frowned and suddenly walked back to the other side.

“Hey! Anya, where are you going?” Anusha called out to her, walking quickly to catch up with her. They stopped in front of a huge door. Anusha frowned.

_This wasn’t there when we walked past here before…_

“Anusha, this wasn’t there, was it?” Anya asked, knowing the answer.

“It just appeared,” Anusha said, nodding. They looked at each other for a few moments and nodded. Taking out their wands, they slowly opened the doors to find a room as large as the eyes could see. The ceiling was so high that it felt as if it wasn’t even there. And all around them was piles and piles and piles of things lying in a stack. They looked around with their mouth wide open.

“Well,” Anusha said after a few long moments, “Fuck.”

“I’ll say!” Anya said, looking down the wide corridor.

“This is epic,” Anusha continued muttering, as she walked slowly to a huge bookshelf filled with large tomes written in different ancient languages. Some she recognized, like Latin, French, German and there were some which she had no idea of.

“Hey, do you think I can find my book here?” Anya said from behind her. She blinked and turned to her, frowning.

“Anya, how can we find something _here_ that was lost in _India_?” Anusha asked, looking at her sister as if she was turning stupid.

A book came down on Anya’s head, hitting her. It fell down with a thud.

“Oww! Damn it! What the hell-” She started, rubbing her head and picking up the book, planning to throw it hard, before she read the title. Her eyes widened in shock.

“ _The famous five – Five run away together,_ ” She whispered, reading the title.

“What?! Bu-But that’s the book you lost!” Anusha exclaimed, going over to Anya and reading the title too.

“Yep, and its mine – look, Ma’s message to me,” Anya said, opening the cover to see a beautiful, sweet message written in cursive handwriting- **_For my brave little tigress… Always remember that whatever happens, we’re a team- you, me, Anusha, and Papa and I’ll never stop loving you or Anusha, ever. Happy birthday!_**

Anya sighed, wiping her wet eyes to see Anusha doing the same. Anya smiled at her as Anusha threw an arm around her shoulder.

“I think we should tell Papa about this,” She whispered, clutching the book tightly against her chest.

“Yes, he’ll be intrigued to find this room.”

When they told him about the room in the evening, he smirked.

“So, you found the Room of Requirement, huh?” He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“The Room of Requirement?” Anya asked, confused.

“Yes. Also known as the come-and-go-room, it was created by the Founders of Hogwarts,” He explained, as they sat down beside him to listen.

“But why?” Anusha asked.

“I don’t know. I had found that room sometime after my second year of teaching here. I had patrolling to do,” He said, sighing, as he rested his head against the back of the couch. Anusha and Anya looked at each other.

“Tired?” Anya asked, sliding closer to her father.

“Yes,” came the answer.

 “Why were you clutching your left forearm in the afternoon, before you abruptly left the quarters?” Anusha asked, simply putting the question in front of him, instead of beating around the bush. He didn’t answer, remembering the events of the meeting that had happened in the afternoon.

“Was it… _HIM_?” Anya asked cautiously.

“Yes,” He answered, clenching his jaw tightly.

For a second, everything was quiet as they looked at him. Severus closed his eyes, keeping the control over his emotions.

“HE has ordered a search for you both. He wants to know who you both are,” Severus announced, looking at them both. The girls’ eyes widened in shock.

“You are both on his shit list after Harry Potter,” Severus said, his voice echoing in the room and in their ears. They looked ahead of them, processing the news.

_Well, fuck._

____----____----____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was it? Was there anything you were able to understand or it wasn't clear, you can ask... And if there are any grammatical errors, I'd love to know what they are!  
> Would love to know what you think!


	4. Visits, revelations, and settling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.
> 
> Ah, is it that time already? I apologize for not posting the new chapter... I was really busy with exams... But, I've finally got some time to breathe and a new chapter to post, so here we are! I do hope you like it... And again, please do comment if there are any grammatical errors in this... Please tell me how you feel of this chapter...

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

_CHAPTER IV_

Severus sighed as he turned on his side, trying to rest his mind and sleep. But he couldn’t. He was still reeling with what had happened in the meeting earlier that day.

_FLASHBACK-_

_“Come, Severus!” The Dark Lord hissed, looking at him with red, bloodshot eyes._

_“My Lord,” Severus murmured, bowing his head for a moment and looking up, keeping his shields in place._

_“Tell me, faithful servant, what is the latest news from the Order?” The megalomaniac asked, searching for any emotion in his spy’s eyes, but there was none, as usual._

_“The old coot has ordered Hagrid to form an alliance with the giants, my Lord. He has been trying to get the upper hand but in vain. And also, the plan to get Potter out of his hiding place has succeeded. The Order was in an uproar when they found out that Potter was given a letter of expulsion. But Dumbledore pulled some strings somehow. There’s to be a hearing soon,” Severus explained, exactly as he had planned with Dumbledore._

_“Hmm. And what of Lupin’s task with the werewolves?” The Dark Lord asked smoothly. Some of the men at the back, possibly Fenrir and two members of his pack chuckled at the question._

_“Unsuccessful as usual, my Lord. He’s grasping at straws obviously,” Severus said, forcing a smirk on his face before his face went blank. Voldemort chuckled._

_“Well, if Fenrir didn’t have a certain… liking… to that filthy, no-good half-breed, then I’d have him killed already,” Voldemort hissed, smirking maliciously. Severus stopped himself from widening his eyes at that statement. He kept his emotionless mask up at all costs._

_“Rise, Severus,” he ordered, coming close to the professor as he stood._

_“I want you to keep a close eye on all of them,” Voldemort said, and dismissed him with a wave of his hand._

_“Yes, My Lord,” Severus answered, bowing and stepping back in the crowd._

_“Parkinson?” Voldemort barked. The man stumbled from the back to get in front of the snake-like man. Severus rolled his eyes at the portly man._

**_What a moron…_ **

_“My Lord!” He exclaimed, bowing low. Beside Severus, Lucius snorted silently._

_“Seriously,” Lucius muttered, sneering at the man. Severus rolled his eyes. Sometimes, Lucius acted like a jealous peacock, wanting the attention of his Master more than anything._

_“Did you find the information on those girls?” Voldemort hissed. Severus became rigid. He was having a very, very bad feeling about this._

**_He doesn’t mean… does he?_ **

_“Yes, my Lord! They are the Maurya Heiresses, Anusha Maurya, and Anya Maurya! They are one of the Royale 15, My Lord! They are rumored to be the oldest family in the world, My Lord!” Parkinson recited._

_“And?”_

_“That is all I could find my lord. They keep their secrets close, sir. What we only know is that the girls live with their grandparents, sir. Their mother had died in 1990 and we have no idea who their father is. Apparently, he’s a businessman who is away most of the time. We neither know of his name, nor we know of his blood status, My Lord,” Parkinson said, sweating a little._

_Severus sucked in a breath and calmed his racing heart._

**_Okay, Severus… Calm down, it’s their names and the general information that he has… Raman and I had made sure that only this amount of information was provided to the public the moment I got married to Amisha… Seems that it worked…_ **

_Voldemort growled in frustration and fury and all but destroyed one of the walls of the room, frightening his servants. Voldemort pointed his wand at Parkinson, who blanched._

_“My Lord-”_

_“Crucio!” The snake-like man screamed, putting in all his anger, rage and frustration behind that spell. Parkinson fell down, convulsing and withering in pain. He let out a huge scream._

_After what felt like an eternity, Voldemort finally canceled the spell. Parkinson was laying on the ground, sucking in deep breaths._

_“Lucius!”  Voldemort barked at him suddenly. Severus took in a deep breath as Lucius went off to stand at the center, bowing to the man._

_“My Lord?” He murmured, looking down in submission._

_“I want to know the moment those girls surface! I know for a fact that the old coot Dumbledore would make sure that they’re under his thumb! You **will** tell me the moment you come to know about them. Keep your eyes and ears open for any such news,” Voldemort demanded._

_“Yes, My Lord,” Lucius said simply, nodding. Voldemort huffed in anger. He then looked at everyone in the room._

_“GET OUT, ALL OF YOU!” Voldemort screamed and a wave of powerful magic blew past them. All of them bowed and got out of the room quickly._

_END FLASHBACK_

The Order meeting had been a blur for him. There was no good news, Hagrid was trying his hardest to get control of the task that was given, but he wasn’t lucky enough. They hadn’t heard from him for a while. Lupin, on the other hand, looked tired and was too silent to say anything other than what he had been doing. The Aurors and the other ministry workers were all giving the same news as before, which made Black angrier and grumpier than before. It was frustrating for everyone because there weren’t getting enough information. And also, they were being trailed by some ministry workers that were under Fudge.

He had spoken to Albus later, telling him about the ordeal personally. That was also when he had got the news of a new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. He growled lowly, clenching his fists as he thought of the conversation.

_FLASHBACK-_

_“Albus,” Severus called out after the Headmaster, as the meeting was adjourned for the day._

_“Ah, Severus, my boy,” Albus said, his eyes twinkling merrily._

_“I wanted to give you another piece of information, personally.”_

_“Well, I wanted to speak to you too, my boy. But now isn’t the time. Let us step into my office,” Albus said, as they reached the fireplace. He simply threw in some floo powder and called out ‘Dumbledore’s office, Hogwarts!’ and stepped in, Severus following him quickly._

_“What is it you wanted to speak about, Albus?” Severus asked as they stepped into the office._

_Albus motioned him to take a seat and called for some tea. After a few minutes, both men had a cup of tea each._

_“I had been notified by the ministry and the board of governors that since I was not able to select a suitable Defense against the Dark Arts Professor this year, they have chosen one of the ministry workers as a professor in my stead. They shall be sending the said ministry worker in a few days.”_

_Severus’ fists clenched. He had wanted the job for years and was again losing it, this time to a ministry worker._

_“Oh, fantastic! As it is, the ministry has the inability of finding their bare arses with both hands and a map combined! Now they are going to send a ministry worker who doesn’t even know the meaning of the subject?”_

_“I’m sorry, my boy, but it seems that they want someone to act as their spy at the school,” Albus said, appeasing him._

_“Of course. I applaud at their attempts in subtlety,” Severus said, sneering and rolling his eyes. Albus chuckled._

_“Well, my boy, you look a little down in the dumps! What is it that you wanted to tell me?” Albus asked, steeping his fingers together._

_“The Dark Lord knows about my daughters. He had Parkinson find out their names and the information there is on them. Fortunately, I and Raman had regulated the amount of information that is privy to the public, but if he finds out that they’re at Hogwarts, or that they’re my daughters, then this would be catastrophic for them. He’s having Lucius listen out for any mention of those two.”_

_Albus hummed softly, frowning in thought before his eyes brightened a bit with a peculiar gleam._

_“Well,” The old Headmaster began, “if it isn’t a bother to you, you could send them to the Grimmauld Place. It is protected by the Fidelus; so the girls would be safe for a while, they can get to see you every day and we can also prevent the ministry from finding out about them. And it is always a pleasure for teenagers to be surrounded by others of their age, rather than us old, tired, cantankerous people.”_

_Severus looked at him for a long while, trying to find another way out of this. No doubt, if the girls were told that they would be sent back to India after just two weeks of their summer, then they would certainly protest and clearly would get another portkey to get back here and stay with him(Of course they’d be like their mother- stubborn, determined and never giving up), which would be a huge problem because now, it was the Dark Lord and his followers that were keeping an eye out for them and he’d never want to think about what would happen if even one of his little girls is in HIS grasp._

_He sighed and thought of getting them away from here the moment this month ended. He didn’t want them to stay here and ultimately get involved in this war._

**_Well, at least they’d be pleased enough to stay in an old and battered shack which is being used as a safe house by some of the most powerful members of this world…_ **

_“Are you sure, Albus?” Severus finally asked, looking into the man’s eyes after a long moment._

_“Yes! The girls would love it there!”_

_“Ah, of course! They’d love to stay in a drab, dingy house rather than a huge, majestic castle with countless corridors, many surrounding forests, which, according to them, are waiting to be explored, a huge library and a large Quidditch pitch with just the two of them to use it all,” Severus said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. The Headmaster’s expression turned slightly sheepish._

_“Well, I understand Severus; Hogwarts does have a certain splendor, but they would love to have more company there,” Albus said, smiling at him. Severus rolled his eyes again and sighed._

_“Alright, fine. I’ll have to inform the girls about this. When is the ‘Ministry worker’ coming?”_

_“The new Professor would be here in about a week,” Albus answered._

_“Alright, I’ll explain it to them somehow and get them out in a few days,” Severus said, getting up from his seat. He placed his cup down and nodded to the Headmaster, walking down the stairs to the door._

_END FLASHBACK_

The day had been, in a word, frustrating for him. Amisha would’ve chuckled at his expression and told him to keep his cool.

Severus sighed and turned again, feeling an old pain stir up in his chest whenever he thought of his wife. He closed his eyes to let sleep claim him.

____----____----____

Severus had sat the girls down next day and told them about the situation he was in.

“So we have to leave this castle?” Anusha asked, sighing a little.

“That is the general idea, yes,” Severus answered, looking at them both.

“Where are you sending us?” Anya asked curiously, her black eyes shimmering.

“And why aren’t you sending us back to India?” Anusha asked, frowning.

“I can’t send you two back home because… a week after you both arrived, I had got a letter from Raman, telling me that he had observed some suspicious people around your _Nana_. He was almost attacked,” Severus said, totally ignoring his daughters’ stiffening and clenching their fists and continued, “but your _Mama_ intervened in time.”

The twins breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing.

“But before he could apprehend the man he disapparated,” Severus said, clicking his tongue.

 “So, he asked me to keep you both here for the time being, till he could diffuse the situation. So, going back to India right now is dangerous, because you might become more vulnerable there. I didn’t tell your grandparents about the situation we are facing here; they’ll worry for you both endlessly. Your _Nani_ would take you straight back and lock you both. Only Raman knows and he is finding out about the men and working on stabilizing the situation. The Dark Lord is looking out for you both and now that he knows your names, he is determined to find you both and get you both under his thumbs. You both are the heiress to an influential and powerful family and HE would do his best to get to you both.”

For a while, the room was filled with silence.

Then Severus smirked at them.

“And of course, I can’t exactly trust you both _not_ to simply steal a portkey and get back here can I?” Severus said, tweaking both their noses softly.

The twins gasped in anger.

“Hey!” Anusha exclaimed, glaring at him playfully.

“When have we ever done that?” Anya grumbled with a smirk.

“You haven’t, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not going to start now.”

“Ha ha ha,” Anusha said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she settled on the sofa more comfortably.

“Very funny Papa,” Anya said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“But where is it exactly that you’re sending us?” Anusha asked after a while, looking at him curiously.

“I can’t say.”

The twins frowned.

“Why not?” Anya asked, frowning at him.

“It's protected and only the Headmaster can tell you about the place.”

The twins scrunched their noses, thinking about what their father said before they caught on and nodded.

“Fidelus Charm,” Anusha voiced out.

“That is correct,” Severus commented, smirking at them. They smiled back, their eyes brightening a little.

Suddenly, the fireplace turned green and Albus’ voice rang out through the room.

“Severus, my boy! May I come through?” Albus asked.

“Yes, Headmaster!”

A few moments later, Albus stepped through the fireplace. He took out his wand to clear away the soot on his robes and smiled.

“Good afternoon, Severus, Ms. Snape, Ms. Snape,”

The girls murmured a ‘Good afternoon’ to him, while Severus merely inclined his head.

“Well, I assume he told you about his decision to send you both to a Safehouse,” Albus said, looking at them both.

“Yes sir,” both of them answered.

I assure you, Severus would be able to reach you both every day! And you can use the floo to contact him anytime! And of course, Sirius and the others would love your company!” Albus said, the twinkle in his blue orbs intensifying. He projected a totally innocent, grandfatherly aura, while on the inside he was patting himself for seizing the opportunity at the right time. He had the time enough to search for the right excuse to involve them both in this war against the dark side.

“They’d be delighted to have you both with them!” Albus gushed, clapping his hands.

 “Yes, of course, and pigs can fly,” Severus retorted, looking away with a sneer. Albus sighed at the young man’s behavior. The girls looked at their father in confusion.

“Severus, they won’t take out their misconceptions on a pair of fifteen-year-olds. They both are grown men now,” Albus tried to reason with him, while the twins looked on between the two of them curiously.

“So you say,” Severus muttered loudly.

“When have they ever done that?” Albus questioned him. Severus barked out a humorless laugh.

“I believe you are actually forgetting the five miserable years I spent here before my mother transferred me to India for an early apprenticeship,” Severus said bitterly. Albus sighed again.

“They were harmless pranks, Severus-” Albus began.

“Oh, I didn’t realize hexing someone mid-flight in the middle of a Quidditch game was a ‘harmless prank’,” Severus snarled. The twins hissed, wincing a little. They looked at each other and spoke to each other in their minds.

 _“Some fucker hexed Papa mid-flight,”_ Anusha said in an eerily calm voice.

 _“Oh, we need to find out who that fucker is,”_ Anya said, nodding her head. Anusha nodded back.

 _“We certainly need to,”_ Anusha answered and turned back to the conversation in front of them.

“Severus, I admit, Sirius went out of hand that _one_ time-” Albus said exasperatedly as if they had that conversation many times before.

“-And many other times,” Severus muttered.

“-And I apologize for that, but you can’t keep holding on to grudges like this! And you gave back as good as you got!”

“That was self-defense!”

“Was it always self-defense, Severus?” Albus asked sternly, looking at Severus like he had been caught red-handed in stealing a toffee. Severus huffed.

“You know what? I don’t care what that arsehole Black and his sidekick werewolf think of me. Frankly, I’d rather go and learn ballet. But if I get to know that they even tried getting on with their prejudices against _my_ daughters, then even you won’t be able to stop me from what I’ll do, do we have that clear?” Severus growled, standing up and looking as intimidating as he could. He was a few inches taller than the Headmaster, but the height didn’t serve the purpose at all. 

The girls sighed exasperatedly, their faces turning pink.

“Papa!” Anusha whined.

“You’re being unnecessarily overprotective!” Anya said, burying her face in her hands. Albus chuckled.

“Your daughters are right, Severus. You’re acting paranoid!”

“Gee, I wonder why,” Severus said sarcastically, sitting down again.

“I promise you, the two of them won’t do that. They’ve grown up, Severus. They’re not the teenagers you had encountered at Hogwarts,” Albus said calmly.

“They sure do act like grownups,” Severus retorted. Albus sighed, standing up and shaking his head at the Potions Master.

“Well, if that is all, then I’ll see you three at supper,” Albus said, nodding at them. Severus nodded back.

“Good day,” the Headmaster wished them, taking some floo powder and throwing it in the fireplace, calling out the name of his office and stepping into the flames. The flames turned back normal again. For a moment, there was silence as the girls watched their father look into the distance.

“I think I need some tea. Would you both have some?”

The girls nodded at him.

 _“_ So, who is this ‘mutt’ and ‘werewolf’?” Anya asked, as her father threw some floo powder and called out, “The kitchens!”                

Severus stiffened for a second before he turned to his daughters.

“When I was studying here, there were a group of four boys in my year. They were best friends the moment they met each other and they hailed themselves as the ‘Marauders’. They were James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. We… umm, we didn’t get along,” he said, grimacing for a moment as he thought of his childhood tormentors.

“Didn’t get along?” Anusha asked as she and her twin raised their eyebrows.

“That reaction that you had there, that is certainly not what ‘didn’t get along’ means,” Anya said, crossing her arms.

 Severus rolled his eyes. Sometimes, his daughters were too clever.

“Polite terms! Anyway, we didn’t get along and that caused… some issues between us. Do you both need anything else?” Severus asked, changing the subject quickly. They replied in negative. They remained silent for a moment.

The twins sensed it was a sore spot for him and decided to tread delicately.

“So, what happened to them all? I mean, you mentioned two of them. What happened to the other two?”

Severus swallowed, thinking about Lily and her husband. He wasn’t really able to put her death behind him.

“One of them, James Potter, was the father of Harry Potter. He was killed by the Dark Lord in 1981, along with Lily Potter, nee Evans.”

“Wasn’t Lily Evans your best friend?”

“Yes. The red haired girl, whose pictures I showed to you two,” Severus said.

“Your best friend got married to the guy who bullied you?” Anya asked disbelievingly. Severus shrugged.

“I didn’t believe her too. But she claimed that he had changed. Anyway, the other guy, Peter Pettigrew, was their secret keeper who betrayed them to the Dark Lord and blamed it on Sirius Black, the mutt and he spent twelve years in Azkaban because of that, but he got out two years ago and has been hiding. The werewolf, Remus Lupin, was too depressed to notice that his best friends’ son was sent to a muggle family to care.

“But the fact is, they’re prejudiced. From the moment they’ve met me, they made me their personal target. I confess I gave a damn when I was a teenager, something about restoring my pride and honor and gave them as good as I got. I would still defend myself even now, but I don’t show the same immaturity as they do, especially that mutt, Sirius Black.”

“But, why did you agree to let us stay in a place with your past tormentors?” Anusha asked confusedly.

“Because the Headmaster is right. You both need to be kept away from the eyes of the ministry. The Death Eaters have already infiltrated it, and Fudge is in control of Lucius Malfoy, who’s the Dark Lord’s right-hand man. I know that the moment he gets to know about you both, he’ll whisk you both straight to HIM and I can’t have that. So, contrary to my beliefs, you both would actually be safe there. Provided that the occupants of that bloody house won’t hurt you both.”

“ _Occupants_ , huh? So, there are more than two people who’d hurt us,” Anya said, sighing, as she looked at her father.

“You sure do have friendly folks around you,” Anusha said sarcastically.

“I can’t help it. I am a spy; of course they’d be wary of me,” He said, shrugging.

____----____----____

And so, the next day, the twins had packed up their things, shrunk them and put them in their pockets.

“Do you have everything with you?” Severus asked, for the hundredth time that morning, as the twins got out of their room. They were dressed in simple jeans and shirt, with a jacket. They always dressed in the same clothes; they liked to confuse people around them.

The twins sighed in exasperation.

“Papa, if, by chance, we forgot something, we’d be sure to tell you, okay? But, for now, we have everything that we had brought with us,” Anya said.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then we can leave,” He said, taking some floo powder and throwing it in the fireplace, calling, ‘Headmaster’s office!’ and stepped in. The girls followed him.

Getting out of the fireplace, they saw Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall waiting for them.

“Good morning, Severus, my dears!” Dumbledore wished them, a smile on his lips.

“Are you both ready?” Minerva asked her hands behind her back. The girls nodded.

“We have to apparate, I’m afraid.  The Fidelus Charm won’t allow them to enter through the floo,” Albus said, coming to stand at the center of the room.

“You can apparate from here?” Anusha asked as they all went to grab his hand.

“Ah, yes, my dear. One of the many perks of being a headmaster of Hogwarts,” He answered.

“Everyone ready?” He asked after the four of them grabbed his arm. They nodded and felt the familiar tug at their naval as the Headmaster apparated them.

They felt their feet hit solid ground a moment later. They straightened themselves and controlled themselves in time. It wouldn’t do to puke in front of the headmaster right now. After the feeling of nausea passed off, they looked around curiously.

They had apparated to someplace in London. It was quite desolate. There were rows of houses that were lined up on both sides of the street. Some were well maintained and others had seen much better days.

“Come along now, this way,” Albus said, walking to his right with their Father and Professor McGonagall. The girls followed them quickly. Soon, they stopped at a quiet area and were standing in between two houses marked ‘11’ and ‘13’. They looked on confusedly and turned to their father, who simply handed them a piece of paper and said, “Read this, and think of this in your mind.”

They took the parchment. It was a bit dog-eared, but the words were clear. It said _The Headquarters of The Order Of The Phoenix, Number 12 Grimmauld Place can be found here_.

The twins looked at one another and nodded. Anya took the paper and kept it in her pocket and then everyone looked ahead and thought of the words in their minds. Just then, the space between the two houses started increasing, as a door and windows were starting to appear. They looked on in astonishment as the space expanded and soon enough, they stood in front of 12 Grimmauld Place.

“Well,” Anusha started, “I suppose I expected more from this.”

“Come,” Albus said, going to stand in front of the door. He opened it, letting everyone in, before closing the door behind him. The house vanished again.

As they entered the house, the twins couldn’t help but connect this house to the feeling of death and isolation and looked at the rotting walls with mild disgust.

As they walked behind the adults, Anya sneezed from the dust entering her nose. The adults looked at her with mild horror.

“Oh, dear Merlin,” Minerva said faintly.

Just then, a huge portrait hung on the wall, which was covered with a filthy cloth on Anusha’s left side started screaming, “Filth! Mudbloods! Blood traitors in my house! Dirty blood in the ancient and noble house of Black!”

The girls winced at the screeching voice and turned to look at the covered portrait with annoyance.

Anusha pulled up the blinds to see the portrait of a woman. She was wearing dark, stiff clothes, and had an equally stiff, sour, bitter face. She was looking at Anusha, her face frozen at the moment of surprise.

“What has got _you_ sneering and shouting like this…” Anusha looked down at the frame and reading out the name of the woman, “Lady Walburga Black of the noblest and most ancient house of Black?”

“Didn’t get a chance when you were alive, did you, Lady Black?” Anya said, raising an eyebrow. The portrait huffed, looking at the girls in front of her in disdain.

“Well, I never! You both should feel honored and privileged! I’m one of the _Sacred 28,_ ” The woman boasted, looking them down from her nose. The girls raised their eyebrows.

“And we’re one of the _Royale 15_ , Lady Black. If anyone’s to be _honored_ , then it should be you,” Anusha retorted, sneering at her. The woman’s jaw dropped as she did her best imitation of a fish.

“And I’d watch my mouth if I were a portrait and standing in front of me,” the fifteen-year-old spoke dangerously, fingering her wand. The woman shut her mouth quickly, looking at Anusha’s wand fearfully.

“You may be _married_ into one of the oldest families of _Wizarding Britain_ , but we’re _from_ one of the oldest families of the _Wizarding World_. So, I’d be really careful if I were you,” Anya said, taking out her wand and twirling it around her fingers. The woman panicked a little, but stood in a dignified manner.

“Girls, stop it,” Severus hissed at them.

The girls shrugged after a few moments, straightening themselves.

“Albus? Is it you?” a woman’s voice called out from the room ahead. They snapped their heads in that direction.

“Yes, it’s me, Molly!” Albus said as he went ahead. Severus gestured them ahead, pulling the covers on the portrait again and following them.

They went behind him and entered the room, which seemed to be the dining room. In the room, there was what seemed like an army of Redheads sitting. All siblings; they all had similar faces. An older redhead was sitting in between the identical twins. He was, presumably, the father.

A handsome, but haggard black haired man was sitting with another man who had dirty blond hair and wore shabbily, but clean clothes. Both of them were their father’s age, and were presumably, the ones who were ‘mutt’ and ‘werewolf’, as they looked at him with slight disdain. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a drop of that disdain when they turned their eyes to them.

 Besides the redheads, a black messy-haired boy with round glasses sat with a bushy-haired girl of his age. He, along with everyone else looked up at them. A pair of Brilliant green eyes looked at the twins, but his eyes lingered on Anusha as he gazed into her eyes. She blinked surprisingly and stared back into his. They maintained eye contact for a few moments. Then he looked at their father and his face crinkled with distaste. It seemed to be the case with some others too. Only the red-haired girl and the bushy-haired girl did not have that expression on their faces.

“Albus, Severus, Minerva! Come in! I’ve just made some breakfast! Sit down!” said a plump redheaded woman who was standing at the kitchen counter.  She wore a yellow dress and had an apron tied around her waist. She had neck- length hair and she looked motherly, with slight lines on her face and forehead. She gestured them all to the table, all the while whisking a plain batter into a bowl. She reminded them of their _Nani_ , in a lot of ways.

The woman finally noticed the twins and asked, “Albus, who are these girls?”

The twins sucked in a breath, as they waited for the adults to speak.

Albus looked at Severus and Minerva, who nodded at him. He said, “They are Severus’ daughters, Anusha and Anya Snape.”

The reaction to that sentence was something that none of the girls would ever forget. All redheads, except for the matriarch and the girl, choked on their breakfast. They all looked at Severus in shock. The matriarch dropped the spatula that she was holding in her hand, her mouth agape. The boy with the emerald green eyes, along with the black haired man and his friend looked at them with a disbelieving expression on their faces.  The bushy haired girl was in shock too.

“Wow,” Anusha said dryly.

“Lovely to see the contents of your half-chewed breakfast,” Anya said, crossing her arms and looking at them with raised eyebrows. All of them closed their mouths abruptly, their faces turning pink.

The black-haired man stood up at once, looking at their father with disdain and disgust.

“I should’ve expected you’d stoop low enough to force a woman-”

“Stop right there, Sirius,” Albus said, looking at Sirius with cold, blue eyes. Suddenly, the temperature of the room dropped as everyone looked at the Headmaster warily. It was at moments like this when they saw the man who defeated Grindalwald and was feared by Voldemort himself, not the good-natured, eccentric old Headmaster of Hogwarts. Sirius turned to look at Albus with a shocked expression, before clearing his throat and sitting down. Albus let out a deep breath, regaining the twinkle in his eyes.

Yes, as I was saying, he’s been married for almost... When was it that you got married, Severus?” Albus asked the young man.

“Winter of 1977,” came the mumbled answer, after Severus shot him a long glare.

“So, almost eighteen years,” Albus remarked, the twinkle in his eyes brightening.

There was Deathly silence in the room. Even the black-haired man had no response.

“Well,” The blonde haired man remarked, “I can see a powerful disillusion charm on the play, Severus.”

He looked at Severus’ left ring finger pointedly. Severus sighed and took out his wand and tapped on his finger. The charm vanished to reveal a simple yet beautiful gold band. 

There was a tense silence as everyone saw the band. He tapped his finger and disillusioned his ring again.

The man turned to observe the girls for a moment and smiled thinly.

“I assume they are Harry’s age,” He commented, glancing at Severus, who answered with a simple nod. The man hummed.

The room was abuzz with gossip as they stared at the girls.

“Well, then,” Albus said, “Now that the girls are introduced, I believe that there are some important matters at hand.”

The table went silent again as they turned to look at the Headmaster.

“If you remember, there was an attack by the Death Eaters on a muggle village a few weeks back. The one in which two teenage girls were up against some of the Death Eaters till the team of Aurors came up and diffused the situation. Well, these girls were the ones fighting them,” Albus explained helpfully. The people in the room gasped, while some looked at the girls carefully. Severus looked at the girls sternly. The twins looked away, unable to see their father’s glare directed towards them.

“What?!” The woman, ‘Molly’ screeched, coming up to them quickly. The twins barely flinched, as the woman looked on at them very carefully, trying to look for any sign of injuries.

“What compelled you two to go on gallivanting around like that?” The redhead demanded. The twins looked on at her wide-eyed.

 _“Wow,”_ Anusha commented through their connection.

 _“Nani would love her,”_ Anya remarked.

“Don’t worry Molly; they were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. They got injured and were reprimanded thoroughly by their father and their Grandparents, and they’ve learned their lesson.”

“Good. No child should be fighting such dangerous people,” Molly said, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at them.

“But why were you there?” The bespectacled boy asked, frowning in confusion. The girls looked at their father, who nodded reluctantly.

“We had given out fourth-year examinations, so our _Nana_ decided to send us here for a few weeks for a holiday,” Anusha started.

“But the portkeys were malfunctioning for some reason and we got transported to one of the muggle villages,” Anya continued.

“We decided to contact our Granddad, but instead, as soon as we entered the village, it was attacked by Death Eaters. Anya played the heroine, rescued someone, drawing the ire of those men. I didn’t want her to bear the brunt of the ire so I helped her out till the Aurors came,” Anusha said, smirking at her twin, who just rolled her eyes and huffed.

“We got distracted and injured as a result and woke up in the infirmary at Hogwarts, stayed there for a few weeks and then we’re told to stay here. The ministry is sending some new teacher and Papa didn’t want the ministry to know about us. So, Headmaster Dumbledore decided to let us be here,” Anya finished, looking at each one of them.

“Well,” Molly said, after a few moments of awkward silence, “One of you can sit beside Harry,” She gestured to the bespectacled boy, “and there is a seat beside Hermione as well!” She gestured to the bushy-haired girl. Both the teenagers smiled at them hesitatingly. Their smiles brightened as the twins returned it.

 I’ll whisk up some pancakes for you all! Come now, all of you!” She ordered loudly, clapping her hands and setting to work on her pancakes again.

The twins hesitated at that, suddenly feeling shy at all eyes on them.

“Oh, don’t be shy! Sit down!” Molly coaxed them gently, smiling at them. The twins smiled at her, nodding.

“Thank you,” They said together, as Anusha sat beside Harry. Anya took the seat beside Hermione. The adults remained standing. Molly huffed.

“Come now Albus, don’t you love my pancakes?”

Albus chuckled.

“Of course Molly! But before that, Sirius, I believe I’m correct that there are some more rooms left in the house?” Albus asked the black-haired man, ‘Sirius’. The twins turned their heads at the man curiously, waiting for his answer.

Sirius nodded, and said, “Yes, there are.”

“So I hope you will be able to accommodate them.”

Sirius gave the girls a scrutinizing gaze, but after a while sighed and said, “Yeah, I’ll be able to accommodate them. It is a good excuse to look at some new faces for some time.”

The girls inclined their heads.

“Thank you, Mr...” Anusha started.

“Sirius Black, but you can call me Sirius, or Padfoot,” The man introduced himself, grinning at them charmingly. The twins controlled their expressions as they heard the name.

 _“Anusha, he’s that fucker,”_ Anya whispered urgently through their connection.

 _“Yeah, but keep calm. We can deal with that later,”_ Anusha said, smirking and nodding at Sirius.

“This is my best friend, Remus Lupin,” He gestured to the man beside him. They inclined their heads to Remus, who nodded back.

The girls turned to look at their father, who was taking his leave.

“Apologies, Molly-“Severus started. But both the twins grabbed his hands, which stopped him. He looked at them both, confused.

“Where’re you going?” Anusha asked confusedly.

“I have some paperwork to do, so I’ll be seeing you both later,” Severus replied, prying his hands away from them.

“I’ll come with you too, Severus; I have something to discuss with you about the classes,” Minerva said, standing up.

“Can’t we do that in the evening?”

“I’m leaving in the evening, remember? I have my niece’s wedding to attend and I’ll be seeing you only after the deadline,” Minerva explained. Severus sighed.

“Alright then,” He said, nodding. He turned to the twins.

“Be careful, don’t get into any mischief, and don’t you dare give Mrs. Weasley any trouble, understand?” Severus said sternly, gesturing to the woman.

“Yessir,” They answered, nodding at him. He nodded and stepped towards the fireplace, Minerva behind him.

“Bye, Papa!” They said, as he stepped through the flames. He nodded, giving them a small smile as he disappeared in the flames. Minerva stepped after him with a smirk on her lips.

Severus and Minerva stepped into the Headmaster’s office. Severus turned to see Minerva looking at him with a smile on her lips. He frowned confusedly.

“What?”

“You’re a good father, Severus,” Minerva said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Severus snorted.

“Hardly, Minerva. If I were a good father, then I’d have made sure to keep them away from my past tormentors,” He said, turning away with a slightly bitter expression.

“Severus, do have some trust on them both. They have grown up from those boys who had bullied you long back. Believe me, if they try to do something, then I promise I’ll be the first one to retaliate against them. Is that fair enough?” Minerva said softly, turning him to look at her. Severus sighed after a few moments and nodded.

“So, about the classes…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... How was it? Was it good, weird, bleh maybe? Please do tell me how it is... Which part was good, the flashbacks, or the Grimmauld place, the meeting... Please, do comment...


	5. Forging Friendships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.
> 
> I am back, people! This chapter has been bugging me a lot... But I finally completed it! Hope that you enjoy it!  
> Reviews and kudos are much appreciated...

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

_CHAPTER V_

It was a largely silent breakfast. The twins kept to themselves, occasionally murmuring to each other. The others weren’t faring any better, sneaking glances at the girls occasionally. Only Molly kept herself calm enough and kept offering them more and more till the twins shook their heads.

“Thank you ma’am, but we’re full,” Anusha said, smiling at her.

“But you’ve hardly eaten anything!” Molly said worriedly.

“No, we’ve had our fill. Thank you!” Anya said, nodding.

“Are you sure?” Molly asked, looking at them suspiciously.

“Yes!” The twins said together, nodding.

Molly hummed half-heartedly and turned back to the pancakes she was making.

 _“Anusha?”_  Anya called out through their mental connection.

 _“Yeah?”_ Anusha replied, glancing at her twin.

 _“I don’t think I’ll be able to eat anything for the rest of my life,”_ Anya groaned. Anusha sighed inwardly.

 _“Yeah, I’m feeling the same, sis,”_ Anusha said, nodding.

“Who are you nodding at?” The boy beside her asked, looking at her weirdly. She turned to him and was a bit startled by the bright, emerald green eyes that looked back at her. She blinked and cleared her throat.

“Nothing at all,” Anusha replied, looking at him calmly.

“Oh,” was all the boy said, looking away. Anusha turned to her twin to find her speaking to the bushy-haired girl, ‘Hermione’. After a few moments, Anusha sighed.

“Hey?” Anusha called out softly, catching his attention. He looked back, his bright green eyes filled with curiosity.

 “We’ve not been introduced properly. I’m Anusha Maurya Snape,” She said, holding out her hand to him. He looked at her and her hand for a few moments, before giving her a small smile.

Sirius, meanwhile, snapped his head to Anusha, his eyes wide at hearing her full name. He turned his head to Albus, who met his gaze calmly.

“Maurya?” He hissed at him.

“Yes,” Was all Albus said.

“As in, the _Royale 15 Maurya_?” He confirmed.

“Yes, my boy,” Albus said, his eyes twinkling brightly. Sirius turned back to the two teenagers, who were introducing themselves.

“Well, fuck. If my mother were here, she would’ve had a bloody heart coronary at having the _Royale 15_ in the ‘house of Black’,” Sirius said, eyeing the twins contemplatively. Albus chuckled.

“Well, Sirius,” He began, “She can’t have a heart coronary when she’s a portrait, can she?”

“What do you mean?”

“She already met them both. And I suspect your mother wouldn’t even dare to peep after _that_ particular meeting, not if she wants to be burned up completely!”

A devilish smirk graced the man’s features.

“I’m suddenly starting to like these two.”

_________

“We’ve not been introduced properly. I’m Anusha Maurya Snape,” Anusha said, holding out her hand to him. He looked at her and the offered hand for a few moments, before giving her a small smile.

 “I’m Harry, Harry Potter,” the boy said, shaking her hand. Anusha felt his grip tighten a little before he left her hand.

_Oh. Well, this is… weird… he’s not as I had suspected him to be…_

She maintained her calm composure on the outside.

“Hello,” She said, smiling at him.

Anusha didn’t notice Albus, who was observing their interaction closely with a small smile on his face.

“That’s Hermione sitting beside your twin, and beside her is Ginny,” Harry popped in helpfully. Anusha turned to look at the bushy-haired girl and the redhead, both of whom were assessing her carefully. Anusha shook hands with them.

“Hello,” Anusha said softly, a small smile on her lips.

“Hi,” Ginny said, giving back the smile, her blue eyes shining brightly.

“Hello,” Hermione greeted her, shaking her hand vigorously.

Anya shook hands with Harry, nodding at him. They maintained silence for a few moments.

“I’m sorry if it offends you, but does your dad talk about me?” Harry asked suddenly. The room fell silent as everyone but the twins looked at him with wide eyes.

Anusha frowned, looking at him confusedly.

“On what context?” She asked curiously, as everyone listened in. Harry shrugged.

“As in, you know, about how terrible I am in Potions and I’m so arrogant and strut around in Hogwarts and everything like that,” He said, rolling his eyes. Anusha shared a look with Anya, who shook her head in negative.

“Oh, no. We’ve not seen him much for two years actually because he was too busy and hardly ever came around for a weekend, and then too, it was just to see how we were. And before those two years, I don’t think he ever mentioned you. He just doesn’t like talking about his work much. He just loves to spend time with us,” Anusha said, shrugging a little.

“As a father should,” Molly commented, nodding in approval.

“What do you do in your free time? Make new Potions?” One of the redhead twins asked, smiling cheekily.

“Collect ingredients for him?” The other shot up, a similar grin on his face.

“Or chop slugs and flobberworms for him?” The first one said.

“Or participate in dark rituals with daddy?” A redhead across from them taunted, his mouth full of pancakes. Molly smacked him upside the head.

“Ron, behave!”

“Mum!” The redhead groaned, rubbing his head.

The twins shook their heads, replying in negative.

“No, nothing of the sort. We are allowed to do whatever we want to in our free time,” Anya said, smiling confusedly, wondering what they were on about.

“Do you play Quidditch?” Harry asked. The twins smiled at him as Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

“Yeah!”

“Snape lets you?” the Redhead asked, shocked.

“Yeah,” The twins replied, shrugging as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Got your own brooms?” The redhead twins asked, brightening up.

“Yup,” the girls replied, smiling.

“Could you show us?” they asked, finally putting down their cutlery eagerly.

“Alright!” The twins answered, smiling.

Molly sighed good-naturedly, while Albus’ eyes twinkled. Remus and Sirius chuckled.

“By the way, we’re the handsome guys of the family!” The redhead twins exclaimed.

“This is Fred-” The one on the right gestured to the boy on his left.

“-And this is George!” the left guy said.

“And this is our baby brother, Ron!” They slapped their hands on his shoulders. The tall, gangly boy immediately shrugged them off.

“Hello,” The girls greeted him, waving at them a bit uneasily. The boys waved back, but the third one, ‘Ron’ supposedly, made a rude face at them. They blinked at him slowly.

 _“What the hell is that guy’s problem?”_ Anya said through their mental connection.

 _“I don’t know yaar. Maybe he’s having his first menses or something,”_ Anusha said dryly. Anya could barely control her snort.

“I don’t know why we’re making friends with a pair of slimy snakes anyway!” He said loudly. The twins’ eyes widened as everyone snapped their heads at him. He stood up and stomped out of the dining room.

“Ron!” Molly exclaimed, shocked as he went out of the room. The twins looked on in surprise. Anusha turned to Harry.

“Is ‘slimy snake’ a slang word here? Like a bad name?” Anusha asked as both girls looked at him curiously. Harry looked at her incredulously.

“You mean you both don’t know?” He asked, looking at them both.

“No.”

“Umm, well, Hogwarts has four houses- Gryffindor Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. They have their own animals as their house symbol, to represent their personalities and how they think.”

“Yeah, our father is the Head of House of Slytherin, the one with the snake symbol. What does that have to do with the slang that he threw on us?” Anya asked, growing impatient.

“Well, Slytherin has never had the best of reputation, because Voldemort came from that house,” Harry explained, ignoring the gasp from Molly.

“Not that the reputation was good enough before him anyway,” Sirius muttered.

“He usually recruits his followers from that house, but there are other followers from other houses too, like Peter Pettigrew, umm Barty Crouch Jr. and Augustus Rookwood; he’s from Ravenclaw.”

The twins looked on at everyone with shock.

“So you’re telling us,” Anusha started, keeping her voice in level, “That people point fingers at a whole house because of one man who’s lost his head a long time back and is now a genocidal maniac and recruits certain amount of people from one house as his followers. Surprisingly, even though Voldemort has recruited people from other houses, the other houses don’t get any fingers pointed at them.”

Harry nodded awkwardly.

“Okay, that is a fucked up mentality,” Anya said, in a matter-of-fact way.

“Those Death Eaters are basically that section of society which favors purebloods above everything else. They are bigots, targeting those who are not like them - rich, with a high standing in the society and having generations of history in the wizarding world,” Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

“Sirius, we know that. Even we have this problem with certain members of the Indian wizarding society. Even they are as bigoted as the purebloods here,” Anusha said.

“But what I don’t understand is blaming a certain population of Hogwarts just because one of the greatest megalomaniacs of the century was in that house,” Anya said, frowning at them.

“Since Slytherin has most amounts of Purebloods with a similar ideology, HE recruits his followers from that house. HE just wants purebloods in his camp, people who have a similar way of thinking as HIM,” Harry explained.

“Okay, I can understand a bit about that-”

“But to be scared of the whole House? That’s a bit too much. What is it about them that scares everyone?” Anusha asked to no one in particular.

“Well,” Hermione began hesitatingly, “Slytherins favor ambitious and cunning people. The students of that house are sly, sneaky and determined to achieve their goals.”

“So?” Anusha said.

“Well, that is good, having an ambition, but its how they achieve it makes everyone wary of them,” Ginny piped in, shrugging. The twins nodded dryly.

“There’s nothing wrong with ambition. I mean, it’s just a drive that makes you fulfill your goals in life and makes you move forward,” Anusha said, shrugging.

“Well, everyone is wary, so we can’t say anything about it. Well, I can’t, not if I want to be known as a ‘snake-in-disguise’ on top of everything else,” Harry said, looking at his plate bitterly. 

The girls looked at him confusedly as silence swept in the room.

“Well,” Fred started after a few moments, “I suppose we can see the brooms?”

The girls chuckled.

“Sure!” the twins said.

“Ah well, Sirius can show you both your room!” Molly said suddenly, as all the teens stood up at once.

“What?!” Sirius exclaimed, looking at Molly with wide eyes.

Go on with the girls, Sirius,” Molly said, waving her hands, “Show them their rooms!”

The twins looked at Sirius, who kept his hands in front of him to placate the woman.

“Yeah, Alright! I’m going, I’m going!” Sirius said, in a high voice, as he went behind the teens. The twins shrugged at him, chuckling nervously.

“Well,” Sirius started, as they climbed up the rickety old stairs of the house, “That lady means well. Don’t be scared of her.”

The twins chuckled.

“Oh, no! We are used to that! Our Grandmother is exactly like her,” Anusha said, as they reached the first floor. Sirius nodded slowly.

“Your Grandmother, as in your father’s mother?”

“No, our maternal Grandmother. Our paternal Grandmother died long back before we were even born,” Anya explained.

Sirius hummed.

“So, which school do you guys go to?” Harry asked as they reached the first floor.

“We are home-schooled. We do have a magical school. It has been there since _Nana_ was born, but he prefers home-schooling,” Anusha said.

“What subjects have you two taken?” Hermione asked, her interest piquing up. Everyone around them rolled their eyes amusedly.

“Umm, let’s see- Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, History of Magic, Sanskrit and Latin,” Anya counted out.

“Ten subjects, huh?” Harry commented. The girls blinked at him confusedly.

“Yeah. Sanskrit and Latin are the language subjects. And of course, we are given homework on Hindi too sometimes.”

“ _Hindi!”_ Hermione exclaimed. The girls looked at her weirdly.

“Erm, it’s our mother tongue Hermione; it would literally be an act of treason for us to not learn our mother tongue,” Anusha said, frowning at Hermione.

“B-But that’s eleven subjects! Eleven subjects at once!”

"Just like you, Hermione!" 

“Merlin did fifteen subjects in his formative years. Maybe the system you all have is different from the system we have, so we have our own problems with it. I’m sure you must be having difficulty in some of the subjects here,” Anusha said, shrugging.

“You can say that again,” Harry said, shaking his head and chuckling.

“What’s your weak point, Harry?” Anya asked curiously.

“Potions. Even though I understand the theory of it, I just can’t seem to brew because your father is literally breathing down my neck,” Harry said, then clamped his mouth shut. He glanced at the twins sheepishly.

To everyone’s surprise, the twins chuckled.

“That’s Papa all right! He is twice as strict as _Nana_ when it comes to Potions,” Anusha said, shaking her head.

“Your Grandfather is a Potions Master?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah. Papa had his apprenticeship under him,” Anya said, nodding.

“His name is Vikram Maurya, right?” Sirius asked suddenly. The twins smirked at him.

“Yeah,” Anusha answered.

 “So, you really are the _Royale 15_ , huh?” Sirius muttered. The twins nodded, while everyone else looked confused.

“What’s _Royale 15_?” Hermione asked confusedly.

“Well, you know how you have the _sacred 28_ here, the oldest wizarding families of Britain?” Anusha began. The teens nodded.

“Well, the _Royale 15_ is a group of 15 families around the world. They are the oldest of all the Wizarding families. The families like Potters, Blacks, and Malfoys have been living since the beginning of Hogwarts or maybe before Hogwarts, but the _Royale 15_ families have lived for more time than these families have,” Anya explained.

“Okay, how much more time?”

“Umm, let’s just say that they were the first wielders of magic. They harnessed the powers, used them in the best way they could and made sure that no one used this power for their selfish needs.”

“There actually used to be _Royale 20_ back before the ministries were formed. But, five of the families had actually sought to control the whole world. There was a huge war and these five families lost. They were outnumbered, obviously, but both sides had lost people, ”

“And after this war, even though people were reassured repeatedly by the now _Royale 15_ members that there was no threat, the people were wary of them. So These _Royale 15_ members decided to retreat and instead let the common people build ministries. They even helped in the construction and formation of ministries. So, to honor these families, they allotted a seat to every Royale 15 family in every Wizangamot hall of every ministry.”

“We have the right to vote in every ministry in the world. Our members vote, sometimes, just once in a while sort of thing. These families just like to stay in their quiet life mostly,” Anya finished.

“Wow,” Ginny uttered, looking at the girls in awe.

“Well, we have royalty surrounding us, folks,” one of the twins, George said, smiling cheekily.

“Alright then, kids, here’s you two,” Sirius said, as he stood in front of the door. He opened the door and led the girls in. They all looked around curiously.

It was a large enough room with blue walls and draperies of an eagle soaring in. There was a huge window in front of them. The bed was large enough for them to sleep. The room was bordering on luxurious, but it was charming enough for them.

“Well, this was one of those rooms where I used to hide out when I was little. This was my great-great-great-great Grandmother’s room. She used to love this room, so she charmed it to be magically self-automating. It will revert back to how it was when she had left,” Sirius explained, looking around the room. He snapped out of his daze and looked at the girls. They seemed to notice the dull, depressed gleam in his eyes but said nothing to him.

“Well, I must leave you all to it then. I have buckbeak to feed,” Sirius said, winking at them, before walking out of the room, ruffling Harry’s hair as he went past him.

 “Well, where are the brooms?” One of the twins asked excitedly. The twins chuckled at him.

____----____----____

And so, the twins settled at 12 Grimmauld Place. They were introduced to all the residents living in the dusty old house. There were even some who used to stay for some time and then leave.

Remus was one of the most charming people they had ever encountered and was also very sensible, if not a little mischievous. Also, to their delight, and much to their father’s chagrin, he got them chocolates. Chocolates which were from god-may-know which part of the world, but his choice of chocolates were absolutely _divine_. It was the one thing they never compromised with. While Sirius was more confident about himself, Remus was shy, sweet and doubted himself. He also had a kind of an aura about him, a really weird one. They even saw his eyes turn golden once before they came back to his honey-colored state. They were curious, but they didn’t question him. It would seem intrusive to him. Their father had said something about him being a werewolf, but they shrugged it off.

Sirius, on the other hand, was charismatic, flirtatious man who had a great, albeit dirty, sense of humor. He was a rebel, always badmouthing most members of his family. He was a little depressed, as he had been falsely accused of murdering his best friends, James and Lily Potter and had been locked up in the Azkaban for almost thirteen years. James had been Sirius’ brother in everything but blood. He still had a hard time dealing with the death of his best friends.

They had met Tonks after one of those ‘secret meetings’ that the adults have every now and then. She was a clumsy but bubbly, beautiful and humorous witch. She was a great listener and a formidable witch, but also a caring and kind person. They had a lot of fun with her. She would tell them of her adventures in the DMLE, how she was caught in embarrassing, tough, funny, and sad situations.

Molly Weasley was an overbearing, protective, caring, mother who had a strict hold on all her children. She was also a formidable, powerful witch whose magical powers rivaled with those of McGonagall’s. She was quick to help anyone in need and loved cooking. She wasn’t afraid to put anyone in line and loved all the children living in the house as if they were all her own. She gave them all sets of chores to do around the house, which kept them busy, most of the time. The twins took an instant liking to her, as she reminded them of their _Nani_.

Professor McGonagall was fierce, intimidating, sarcastic, and sassy with an odd sense of humor. Anyone would probably describe her best as ‘Scottish’. Whenever she would get all angry, her inner Scott would become more pronounced. She refused to be treated as a wallflower by anyone, especially by Dumbledore. Since almost every Order member had been her student, they feared her even more. Anya loved Professor McGonagall. She was one of those who could put anyone in line. 

Alastor or ‘Mad-eye’ Moody had made an impact on the twins. They had met him when they were fighting the Death Eaters, but it was in the Grimmauld Place that they came to know who he was. They had been joking around with their father, who had stayed behind after the Order meeting when Mad-eye had come along. He walked along the corridor towards the room when they had intercepted him. He nodded at them and to their father, who was instantly on guard.

“Practice hard ya two. Ya have potential ta be greater than any of those little sacks of yer age… and remember, don’t ever give those bloody morons a chance ta attack ya like tha’ again!” He said, gruffly, looking at them both sternly. The girls looked at him for a second in shock, before their father cleared his throat a little.

“Girls,” He called out softly. They snapped out of their daze, blinking.

“Y-Yes sir,” They said together, standing straighter.

“Hmm… And one more thing,” Moody said, smirking at them evilly. He reached for his wand quickly and pointed at them. To his surprise, they had their wands pointed at him too. They looked at him coolly, maintaining their stance, ready to fire spells at him if it was needed.

Moody put his wand down, smirking widely; the scares on his face looked more gruesome than they already were.

“Well, at least they are vigilant enough,” He muttered, putting his wand back. The girls had their wands out for a few more moments before they kept them back too. Moody simply walked past them to the dining room. The girls looked on as he went off, eyes a bit wide.

“Uh, Anya?” Anusha called out.

“Yup?” Anya replied.

“I think we’ve finally seen the equivalent of Master Vikrant,” Anusha stated, relaxing.

“Oh no, your Master may be a bit similar to Moody, but he is not paranoid. He knows when to relax,” their father said, putting his hands on their shoulders.

“CONSTANT VIGILANCE!” they heard him barking loudly, as he entered the room. They heard Molly sigh in exasperation as someone coughed loudly.

“Alastor, it’s eight’ o clock in the evening! They’re having dinner! Please stop that!”

“Ya never know when ya need ta fight!”

“Alastor!”

The girls chuckled, as their father led them back to their room.

Kingsley was a great strategist. That was one of the reasons he went ahead in the DMLE. There were talks of him going for the position of Minister of Magic. He had lots of conversations with the twins about the law, ministry, strategies, and anguish. He was easily the most sensible people of the order, as he thought of every single little thing that could and would happen. He was really calm, cool and witty at times. Dumbledore trusted him a lot. He came in the group of people who Dumbledore would go to first for Order work which included him, their father, Moody, McGonagall and Moony.

The teens were a bit hesitant at first to include the girls, but soon enough they warmed up to them.

Hermione Granger, the brains of the ‘Golden Trio’ as father called the close-knit group of two boys and a girl, was truly worthy to be called the brains of the trio. She was intelligent, clever, witty, and a perfect analyst at her best. She was always ready for a challenge and was a fierce competitor when it came to studies, as was evident when they spoke to her about their studies. It was really easy to make her worry. But she was really reliable. They liked her instantly.

Ginevra Weasley, or Ginny, was a tall, beautiful redhead, who was as dangerous as any female in Order was. She was also good enough in her studies. At first, they thought of her as a shy quiet girl who kept to herself. But she was as good as her elder brothers in mischief. She was especially known and feared for her ‘bat- bogey’ hex and was quite proud to be the member of a family who did not have a girl in about three generations.

Ronald Weasley, or Ron, the second in the golden trio, was a tall, gangly boy who had found his best mate in Harry. He was not so good with studies but was an excellent strategist. He played chess like a pro. He, like all his siblings, except Ginny, had the tendency to eat a lot during meals. He was a good enough Quidditch player, like his elder brothers and was aspiring to join his house Quidditch team at Hogwarts. He acted like a moody, sulky brat all the time around the girls.

Fred and George Weasley, the Weasley twins, were the most mischievous of the family. They created their own jokes and played them on others, after they had it tested on each other, of course. Their father had admitted, quite reluctantly, that they were brilliant potioneers, but they lacked interest in the world of academia.  They were really clever, flirtatious, charming and very trustworthy.

Harry Potter, the ‘head’ of the Golden Trio, or the ‘Boy-who-lived’ was an average height, awkward, witty, sarcastic boy, who seemed to be brooding all the time. He was an average enough student but was said to be excellent on a broom. He held the title ‘Youngest seeker in a century’. Ginny had a crush on him since his first year, but it was slowly waning off.

But he had his problems. He acted like a teenage girl who had a hormonal overdose. He would grow angry, sad just after, then depressed, then frustrated and then would try to isolate himself. The twins were just on guard around him whenever he was having ‘the rush of emotions’ again. It was growing tiring for them. But he was very sweet and awkward whenever he wasn’t a hormonal mess. 

It was a group of weird people, but the twins really loved the fact that the group was so close knitted and that that they stood with each other at all times. And they were slowly included in the group in a short while. With the exception of Ron Weasley, everyone was friendly enough. 

____----____----____

A few days later, while the teens and the others were having lunch, Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall came in. She was shouting at him, “It is totally unacceptable, Albus! She has the brains of a cockroach! She won’t be able to teach the students in any way! Gilderoy Lockhart is a better choice than that toad!”

“I know Minerva, but my hands are tied! I am not in a position where I can reject the ministry’s offer! My relations with Cornelius are strained enough as it is! This would totally ruin my chances of convincing him about Voldemort’s return!” Albus said, exasperatedly.

“I take it that the ‘competent ministry worker’ has arrived, right?” Anusha asked.

“No offense to you people.” She gestured to the Ministry workers who sat at the table.

“It is a really grave situation. The ministry has interfered at Hogwarts and chose a new DADA teacher, Dolores Umbridge.” Minerva said to all the Order members.

There was a mixed reaction from the people sitting in the room. The ministry workers stood in protest and started shouting. The teens were confused as to why the adults were acting like this.

The Headmaster took out his wand, pointed it at his neck and said loudly, “QUIET!!”

That made them silent. Minerva continued, “She is a pompous, toad-faced moron who doesn’t even have the ability to teach a worm! I doubt if she knows how to cast Expelliarmus, let alone pronounce it!”

“Don’t underestimate her ma’am. She may look like a toad in a tutu, but she has an aura about her that doesn’t……feel right. Best if you kept an eye on her, Headmaster.” Tonks said.

“A toad in a tutu?” Anusha asked amusedly, as Sirius chuckled.

“She is completely covered in pink,” Tonks said in a way of explanation.

“I’ll think about it, Dora. Thank you for the suggestion,” Albus said. Tonks nodded.

“But, Albus, the point is, if we don’t do something soon, the ministry will slowly get a hold of the school, and they may even remove you from the post.”

“I know Minerva, but right now, we are not in a position to do anything. We have to wait for the right time.”

“Well,” Molly began, “Since you both are here, how about you both sit down and have lunch? Come on, sit down!”

The girls chuckled as the Headmaster and his deputy were bullied into sitting beside them.

“Hello!”  Anya greeted Minerva, smirking cheekily.

“Good afternoon, my dear,” Albus said, smiling at the girls.

“Oh, before I forget! Your father told me to inform you both about your Grandparents. They are safe for now. Those people trailing after them have been dealt with,” Minerva said, looking at them curiously, trying to look for any reaction.

“Well, that is Raman _Mama_ after all,” Anusha said, smirking and shaking her head.

“Your grandparents were attacked?” Hermione asked, worry evident in her voice.

“Yeah. As of now, besides Harry, we are being targeted by Voldemort since we fought with the Death Eaters. HE got the information that we are from the _Royale 15_ and decided that having our family under HIS thumb would be a great strategy!” Anya said, smiling sarcastically.

“Your family must be very influential to be targeted by HIM,” Kingsley commented.

“Ah, of course, they are the Granddaughters of Vikram Maurya!” Albus added helpfully.

“Ah, quite famous then,” Tonks said, looking at them both with surprise.

“Is there anything you _don’t_ have?” Ron sneered, looking at them with disdain and a bit of jealousy. The girls sighed, feeling the sting of pain as they thought of their totally out-of-normal life and the circumstances. They had quite enough of the boy’s attitude.

“Our Ma,” The twins shot back, looking at him coldly. Ron’s expression faltered as everyone looked at the girls. Molly and the other Weasleys looked at the youngest Weasley son angrily. The atmosphere of the room dropped.

“A simple life, to be clear. Be glad Ron. You have a family that’s intact. You have your mother who’s alive and there for you for the rest of your life, and a father who doesn’t have the obligation of spying against a megalomaniac for the entirety of the year,” Anusha continued, standing up from her seat, dropping her cutlery. Her appetite was ruined completely and she felt a bit disgusted. 

“You have no idea what it’s like to go through that pain of losing your mother. And I really hope and pray that you never do,” Anya said, standing with her sister.

“You don’t know the endless worries and fears that we went through when we came to know what our father actually does here. Be glad _you_ don’t have your father spying against a group of bigots, murderers, and rapists and then reporting back to the other side who basically looks at him as though he has committed genocide,” Anusha said, looking at each and every one in the room. All of the adults, plus Harry and Ron looked away from her, unable to meet her eyes at all.

“Just be glad that even after that thankless behavior and attitude you show towards him, he still saves your ass and expects nothing but the defeat of Voldemort,” Anya said cuttingly, looked at him with piercing eyes. Ron looked away, his face a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

“And please, do drop the attitude and grow up. You look like a petulant five-year-old with the emotional maturity of a spoiled two-year-old when you’re like that,” Anusha finished, turning back and going out of the dining room to their room. Everyone was absolutely silent as they looked at Ron with anger. Ron gulped, feeling guilty all of a sudden.

“Fantastic, Ron. Absolutely fantastic,” Harry said after a while, standing up and going out of the room in anger.

Arthur stood up slowly after a while and looked at Ron.

“Ron, is this the kind of behavior you show towards young ladies who came to visit their father for the first time in two years? Have we taught you nothing about controlling your thoughts and tongue, huh? I didn’t expect you to act like a sulking, grumpy brat! And you show your attitude towards the two girls who have nothing to do with being a Slytherin or being a pureblood or any of those biting comments you made during all this time! You have disappointed me immensely, young man,” Arthur began quietly, looking at his youngest son.

The redhead looked down, unable to meet his father’s gaze. He just can’t believe that his _dad_ was scolding him. He had hardly ever got a lecture from the usually jovial, curious, and patient man. He was more used to his mother’s shouting, but his dad’s scolding was another thing altogether. His quiet, firm words had always made a huge impact on him.

“As of now, you’re grounded, till your mother and I discuss your punishment. You are going to stand up, march to your room, sit there quietly, think about what you’ve done and then go and apologize to the girls,” Arthur said firmly, not raising his voice, even a little bit. Ron looked up to see his father looking down at him with furrowed eyebrows. The disappointment in his eyes brought back his childhood fear for just a moment. The fear of disappointing his father, his idol.

 “Is that clear?” his Dad asked, looking into his eyes. Ron just nodded and went out of the room. He somehow felt that his worst fears had come true today.

____----____----____

The apology went to the twins after nearly four days. Ron was too stubborn, too proud to admit that he had been rude and disrespectful to them. But he thought long and hard about what he had done. He rarely ever thought about anything for this long. But this wasn’t only about offending and hurting the twins; this was also about his beliefs, his opinions about Slytherins.

He had always hated the rich purebloods like the Malfoys, Notts, and Parkinsons, because they always reminded him of what he didn’t have, couldn’t have, even though he was a pureblood too. He would always remember the taunts, the humiliation and mockery he and his family had suffered at the hands of those families. He just couldn’t let go of those feelings of hate and anger, he knew that. But somewhere at the back of his mind, he knew that he had been exaggerating a little about the Slytherins and other purebloods. He had his examples, and he had been lectured about a million times by everyone about his attitude. But it was the first time his father had actually scolded him on this topic.

He could never change his views, never start trusting Slytherins, but he knew that the twins had done nothing but be polite and friendly to everyone ever since they had come to stay in the Grimmauld place. So, he just decided to put his opinions to rest and just apologize to them.

But it wasn’t easy for him to apologize. He had avoided the girls like plague for four full days. He finally braved himself to approach the girls in the living room. One of the twins was reading a Potions manual, while the other was resting her head on her sister’s lap, her eyes closed. They looked peaceful. Ron took in a deep breath and steeled himself.

_Alright then Ron, you can do this… You are a Gryffindor and a Weasley after all…_

Feeling a little bit more confident than before, he cleared his throat loudly. Both the girls snapped their heads to look at him with an unreadable expression. Ron felt a bit unnerved; after all, his Potions Professor gave him the same expression every day at Hogwarts.

“Yes?” The one sitting with the book asked politely, which made Ron guiltier about being rude to them.

“I-I-I just…” Ron started; taking a deep breath when he wasn’t able to say anything, “I just wanted to…” he trailed off, his face coloring a little.

“Mmhmm, go on,” The one lying down on the sofa prompted gently.

“I’m sorry,” Ron blurted it out. The twins blinked in surprise.

“I’m sorry for the attitude that I showed towards you. I was wrong about you two and I was wrong to discriminate you both when I didn’t even know you. And for that, I’m sorry,” Ron said, hoping he was sincere enough.

The twins looked on with the same unreadable expression for a while. Ron couldn’t take it anymore and turned to walk out of the room.

“Oi, Ron!” A voice called out from behind him. He turned back to see the first one summoning a chess set from the shelves.

“I’ve heard you’re a good player. What do you say? Up for a challenge?” She asked, raising her eyebrows challengingly and smirking at him.

Ron released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

They had forgiven him for the things he had said to them. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest.

He smirked back cockily, a touch of relief in his expression.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I am the best at chess here! No one, not even Sirius can beat me!”

“Oh, we’ll be testing the theory here and I’m sure there will be a slight change in that sentence,” the girl shot back.

“You wish!” He shot back, as he sat down from across her, helping her with the chess pieces. He looked up at her suddenly.

“By the way, which one are you? Anusha or Anya?” Ron asked sheepishly, his face coloring a bit, hoping he hadn’t offended the twins by not being able to tell them apart.

“I’m Anusha. This lump sleeping here is Anya,” the girl, Anusha answered promptly, earning a punch from the other girl.

“Oww! Damn it, it hurts,” Anusha gushed, rubbing her ribs and glaring at her sister.

“It’s supposed to hurt, you dope!” Anya retorted.

“Shut up!” Anusha said, but with hardly any malice in his voice.

Ron watched their interaction with an amused expression. Somehow, they were just like Fred and George, always bickering, but always standing for each other. He sighed, feeling calmer than he had felt all the holidays.

“Well then, Weasley,” Anusha started, rubbing her hands and smirking at him, “ready to lose?”

“I should be asking that to you! No one has ever beaten me in chess!”

“Well, I would be honored to be the first! You would wish you hadn’t accepted this challenge by the time this ends!”

“You wish you hadn’t issued this challenge, Snape!”

“We’ll see about that!”

Anusha and Ron began their game of chess in earnest, both determined to win. Both had smirks on their faces as they began the game, Anya watching the game with interest. One by one, teens came down as they heard both Anusha and Ron trading quips. As soon as they saw them both playing a game of chess, they immediately gathered around the two of them, cheering them on.

They didn’t see Arthur and Molly standing in the doorway, looking at the scene with smiles on their face.

____----____----____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was it? Which part did you like the most? The explanation scene? THe scene between the twins and Ron? Ron's perception? Please, do tell! 
> 
> Please do review and kudos!


	6. Training, observations and Occlumency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.
> 
> Hiya people! I am finally able to complete the sixth chapter! This is a relief! Now, this chapter made me think quite a bit about the story... I do hope that you like it!!
> 
> ***Edit (02-03-19):- This is the first chapter that I'm editing... i found quite a lot of things unexplained in the previous version, so I added a few more things to make it better... hope you like it better... And also, this chapter contains some child abuse. You can skip it if you want...

**Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however, are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.**

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

_CHAPTER VI_

The ‘secret meetings’ were a weekly thing, mostly. The teens were all shooed out of the room whenever there was to be a meeting. They had tried protesting, but Molly, along with their father, had sternly told them to just go out of the room. The teens tried listening in through the extendable ears which were made by the Weasley twins, but was unsuccessful, as Hermione’s cat, Crookshanks, had taken the ear and ran away. Everyone groaned.

“Bad Crooks!” Hermione muttered sullenly.

“I hate your cat, Hermione!” Fred said, grumbling.

When this meeting was over, the twins, along with the teens were called down for dinner. Their father had been forced by Molly to have dinner with them. He looked at the crowd surrounding the table, looking every bit as though he didn’t want to be there.

The twins snickered, not at all deterred by the glare that their father had shot them. But the glare itself held no malice.

He sat down, with the two girls on either side of him. They were listening to what Sirius was telling Harry about some prophecy. After some time, Molly snapped, “Enough, Sirius! He is given enough information for today. It isn’t right, giving him too much information when he won’t be able to do anything! He’s just a boy!”

“But, I want to know! If Voldemort is building an army, I want to fight,” Harry said, looking angry and frustrated.

Sirius had a smug expression on his face and he looked at Molly, who looked frustrated.

Sirius smiled at Harry, winked, and did a gesture that said, _don’t mind her_. Harry smiled at his godfather’s approval. Severus rolled his eyes, muttering something about “Stupid mutt.”

The twins looked at him contemplatively, thinking about something.

“You want to fight, Harry?” Anya asked suddenly, giving him a piercing look. Harry blinked disbelievingly at her for a second, before his expression turned into one of anger.

“Of course I want to! HE killed my parents, Anya!” Harry said, his voice growing louder. They could feel a bit of power radiating from him as he grew angry.

“Okay. You want revenge. That’s good. But do you have any spells in your arsenal that you can use against HIM?” Anya shot at him.

There was silence in the room as Harry looked down, growing angrier by the minute.

“I know you fought Voldemort more times than most of the people in this room, maybe even including Headmaster Dumbledore, but you had nothing but your bravery, the tendency to act like a hero and sheer dumb luck to be thankful for,” Anya said gently, trying her best not to set him off. Harry looked up and opened his mouth, but Anusha cut him off.

“You want to fight, go on. No one can stop you. In the end, it is your decision and how you work towards getting to your goal that would decide the outcome,” Anusha said, looking at Harry and crossing her arms.

For a while, no one spoke as the whole room looked at the three teens. Harry looked down again, slumping against the chair he was sitting on.

“I don’t know anything about what is going on with Voldemort,” Harry said, leaning against the chair. He looked up suddenly, his eyes a molten green, burning with rage. The table was shrouded in ominous silence, like the calm before the storm.

Suddenly, the table started rattling. The cutlery was shaking badly, making a sound that combined to become a loud noise. The glasses on the table started moving towards the edge through the shaking. It was like a mild earthquake, but everyone had their eyes focused on Harry, who stood up slowly. Some of them looked at him with wariness and mild fear. Severus and the twins, along with Albus, Remus and Moody looked at him, observing him carefully.

“I want to help! This is _my_ war! HE wants to fight _me_! And yet, whenever I ask about the war, everyone just tries to shield me, like I’m some little child who doesn’t know any better!”

“Technically, you are a child,” Anusha said, calmly.

“ _I DON’T CARE! THIS IS **MY** WAR I WANT TO FIGHT! IT IS MY RIGHT!_ ” Harry screamed, his voice turning a little deep. They could see a tinge of red seeping through his brilliant green eyes. Albus, Remus, and Moody narrowed their eyes sharply at the change in color.

Severus refrained from widening his eyes in shock.

_Red… just like HIS eyes… Oh Merlin, what the hell is going on with your son, Lily?_

“Then make yourself worthy of your right,” Anusha said, looking at him coolly, her hand on her wand, ready to take it out.

Harry turned his head sharply to look at her, his eyes burning with rage, but Anusha stared back at him with cold eyes. She was confident enough that he wouldn’t do anything to her. If he did, then she was confident enough to prevent him from doing so.

Anya and Severus looked at her and Harry concernedly.

“Anusha,” Anya said softly, warning her.

“Careful now, sweetie,” Severus murmured softly, looking at Harry with suspicion. Some people turned to look at him, shocked. It wasn’t every day that you heard Severus Snape utter ‘sweetie’, even when he was addressing one of his daughters.

Everyone stared at the two teenagers, completely silent.

After a while, Harry’s rage suddenly deflated.

“I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me,” Harry breathed out, sitting down again and looking at his plate of food in frustration. The people in the room sighed, relieved by the change in the atmosphere.

“Oh, Harry!” Hermione said, looking at him.

“I just feel bad for all those times you all got hurt because of me. My presence is dangerous for you all,” He continued.

“Harry! Don’t say things like that!” Ginny exclaimed, looking at him.

“That’s right, Harry! We’re all here to help you!” Hermione said.

“Yeah, Mate! We knew what we were getting into! It’s not your fault!” Ron said, nodding. It was clear that he would stay by his best friend’s side no matter what.

Anusha looked down at her plate for a few moments, before looking at her father.

“I have an idea. How about all of us make a group and learn new spells? I mean, the adults in this room are some of the strongest wizards and witches of Wizarding Britain! They could help us with the spells! And if we have a problem, then they could help us with it!”

The teens looked at each other for a few seconds before turning and nodding enthusiastically. Anya turned to the Haggard man sitting on the far end of the table.

“Sirius, you were an Auror, right? You could help us with this!” Anya said, looking at him enthusiastically. Sirius blinked in surprise.

“M-Me?!”

“Not only you but everyone else! You all can assist us! If you guys are free!” Anusha said, looking around the table.

“Nope. Sorry, kiddo. We have late night shifts and on top of that, our seniors aren’t leaving us so easily,” Tonks said, as both she and Kingsley looked at them apologetically.

“Forgive me, but I have a lot of work on my plate right now, so…” Severus said, looking at his daughters.

After receiving similar responses from Albus and the elder Weasleys, Anya said, “Well, I guess it’s you two now Sirius, Remus.”

The former Marauders looked at each other, before looking back at the teens and nodding.

“Alright, I don’t mind,” Remus answered, shrugging and smirking.

“I’ll teach you kids if you think you can put up with me!” Sirius said, winking at them all.

So, there’s that done. Now, is there any place here where we can practice?” Anusha asked, looking at the man.

Sirius thought for a few moments, concentrating hard before his eyes lit up.

“Oh yes! The house’s basement is basically a dueling ground. There are charms that are lined up in there that will keep the ministry from getting notified of your underage wand using. There are also dummies there for you to practice on!”

“Brilliant!”

“Bloody hell!” Ron muttered, smirking, as every teen shared a look with one another. The adults sighed exasperatedly and shook their heads as the teens all planned out what spells they can practice on and learn.

Albus looked on as all the teens murmured ‘yeah’ and ‘of course!’ with a bright smile. He always loved it when his students took the initiative. It showed that they were eager to help, no matter what the others said. His gaze shifted to the twins, who were discussing something with their father. His smile turned brighter. Everything was going according to plan.

_And these girls are starting to get involved with the others… It won’t be long before I can actually keep them here…_

____----____----____

Thus, their training started. Sirius and Remus were great teachers. Remus had a calm and cool aura that was exactly opposite to Sirius’ charming, outgoing and hyped up persona. But they worked in a sort of sync as though they were twins. It was amazing.

They had started with the simplest of spells, Expelliarmus. The first day of teaching taught the Weasley twins and Ron that no matter where you are, don’t underestimate the person standing in front of you.

Hermione also thought it would be a good idea to revise some old spells and charms, for their ‘O.W.L.S’, she had argued. The others were amused, but they complied anyway.

The girls were slowly getting attached to the group of teens, but they knew that as soon as their holidays were over, they would have to go back to their life. That made them a bit somber, but it didn’t deter them from learning new spells with the teens.

The teens felt the same thing, so they didn’t talk to them about the end of the holidays at all. Instead, they spent as much time with the spells as possible.

There was a time when Harry got frustrated because of his inability to master the spell.

He shouted in frustration and swung his wand in the direction of the walls. A blue light shot out from his wand and hit the wall in front of him. It was so bright that they weren’t able to keep their eyes open. It went and hit the wall. The magnitude of the resulting explosion was such that it almost threw them all to the ground and the force of the explosion shook the whole house badly.

“What is going on?!” Anusha muttered, snapping her eyes tightly shut as the light blinded everyone. 

“I don’t know, sis!”  Anya shouted.

”HARRY!” Sirius and Remus shouted collectively.

Upstairs, Molly and Arthur looked around in alarm as the house started shaking.

“We’re being attacked!” Arthur exclaimed, standing up.

“Where are the kids?!” Molly exclaimed.

Down in the basement, the shaking had finally stopped as the light dimmed. Anusha slowly opened her eyes and blinked. What she saw made her gape. The other teens exclaimed.

“Whoa,” Ginny murmured, looking awed.

“Bloody Hell!” Ron muttered, his eyes wide with shock.

“But, it can’t be!” Hermione muttered.

“This is absolutely unreal!” The Weasley twins exclaimed.

“You told us that nothing could harm these walls, Sirius!” Anusha said, her mouth still agape.

“Exactly; but apparently, Harry is an exception to that,” Sirius muttered. Remus breathed in shakily, gulping to clear his dry throat.

The wall that had taken the brunt of Harry’s anger had been scorched completely. It was almost on the verge of breaking down. If it weren’t for the wards on the walls, the whole room would’ve been demolished by that force.

Every teen looked at Harry warily. It was at times like these that anyone witnessed the raw power Harry had.

The adults were informed of this incident. They were totally shocked at what the teens had told them. But they didn’t dare comment upon it. They were suddenly wary of how Harry would react. They had initially wanted to tell the Headmaster of this, but Harry begged them not to tell him. When asked why Harry replied that he didn’t want the Headmaster to have more work than the usual and that he was fine.

“I don’t need help! I feel fine! I’ll do my best to control it!” Harry said, looking at the adults sitting in front of him with a begging look. The adults looked at each other for a few long moments. The teens all watched them struggle with their decision, but they finally nodded after a few moments.

The girls had enough of sitting around with this. They had spoken to their father about this, but he had strictly told them not to get involved too much. He told them that the Headmaster knew about this and he was working on the problem. But the problem was slowly going out of hand.

That evening, during dinner, Anya was lost in thought, her hand holding the fork loosely. Anusha looked over at her, frowning.

_“Oi, Anya?”_

Anya’s attention snapped to her twin, but she kept looking down.

_“What’s up? You’ve not been eating anything.”_

_“No, I was thinking that we should approach the Headmaster about the incident in the basement of the house. I know Papa told us to keep away from this, but this is getting out of hand. If this goes on, then Harry will be mad enough to blow the whole house one day and kill everyone in it, even himself! He is a powerful wizard! He needs to learn to control it!”_ Anya ranted, as she stabbed her chicken piece forcefully. The metal clattered against the plate, attracting the attention of others, who looked at her curiously.

“Everything alright, Anya?” Sirius asked, looking at the girl with a raised eyebrow. Both the girls snapped their heads to look at him for a second. The man flinched a little.

“Oh, sorry. Yes, I’m fine! Really!” Anya said, laughing nervously, before looking back to her plate.

“Well, if you’re sure,” Sirius mumbled, gulping a little.

 _“Smooth move, Anya,”_ Anusha said, smirking inwardly.

 _“Shut up and get back to the topic!”_ Anya screeched. Anusha winced, which attracted Harry’s attention beside her.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, just a bit of cramps.”

Harry’s face reddened instantly.

“Cramps?” He murmured, his face a mixture of horror and embarrassment, loud enough for Sirius to hear, who turned to look at Anusha with the same look as Harry.

Anusha looked between them confusedly, before turning red herself.

“Arm cramps!” She exclaimed softly, face glowing red with embarrassment.

“Oh,” both of them exclaimed, sighing in relief, before Sirius stared chuckling to himself, making Anusha’s face redder. She looked down at her plate, glaring at her twin, who was sniggering to herself.

_“Gods, you don’t have to scream in my ear you know! Geez!”_

_“I’m so sorry sis!”_

_“Fine, whatever! Anyway, you’re right. If he keeps this up, then this house will be gone by the time it’s Christmas! He does need to control this. Approaching Headmaster Dumbledore would be good, but we have to involve Papa in this,”_ Anusha explained.

 _“But-”_ Anya started.

_“I know he’ll grumble about us being involved, but come on! You know it’s useless to not tell him of this! He’ll come to know about this anyway! So, it is a much better option to just let him know!”_

Anya sighed softly.

_“Yeah, you’re right. We’ll tell them both tomorrow. They might be able to help with this.”_

In the end, it was quite easy to catch hold of him. There had been yet another meeting that day and it had just ended. The Headmaster and their father had stepped outside the room, speaking urgently amongst each other. The twins looked at each other and nodded and rushed down the stairs.

“Hey, where are you going?” Hermione hissed at them.

“We’ll be right back!” Anya said, rushing with her twin down the stairs almost tripping down one of them.

“Careful!” Severus said, sternly. Soon enough, the girls stood in front of him.

“Papa, Headmaster,” Anusha said, “We need to speak to you. Urgently.”

“About?” Severus asked, looking at them suspiciously.

“We’ll tell you when we are alone. We need to talk about this, now,” Anya said, looking at them both seriously.

The adults looked at each other before nodding at them and leading to an empty living room down the hall.

Well, what is it you two wanted to tell us?” Albus asked, looking at them with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Professor,” Anusha began, “Harry’s behavior is going out of hand.”

“He’s being totally unstable!”  Anya added.

“His temper is so volatile! It’s like, someone says something to him, anything and he just blows up! Then suddenly, he realizes that he’s being a bit unreasonable and stops but there’s some sort of black cloud on his head! And then he starts acting like a borderline depressed person and then he tries isolating himself!” Anusha continued, looking at her Papa, who frowned thoughtfully as he remembered the red glint in the boy’s eyes from a few days ago. 

“And he is not able to control his magical energy at all! Being a powerful wizard, he should be able to, but he is not! In fact, I think he’s just losing control deliberately! And that was clear when he lost his temper last evening and just shot a hole in one of the ‘impenetrable’ walls of the basement!” Anya said, crossing her arms and frowning harshly at the floor.

“At this rate, he will definitely destroy the house one day with all the inhabitants under it! Someone has to step in to help him out with this!”  Anusha finished.

By the time they were finished, Albus and Severus were frowning too.

“I had suspected of it, yes. But I was never really sure of it.” He muttered to himself. The three of them were barely able to catch what he had said. All three of them looked at the old man, narrowing his eyes for a bit.

Albus looked thoughtful for a few moments. He then looked at the Potions Master. Severus raised his eyebrows at him, dreading what he was going to be asked by the senile old man. After a few moments of thinking about what the problem is, Severus had realized what he wanted to ask and started shaking his head vehemently.

“Severus, I want you to teach Harry-”

“No way!” Severus interrupted him, turning away from Albus. The old man sighed.

“Severus, that boy needs to control his emotions!”

“Then get someone else to teach him! You can do that yourself!”

“You know I can’t! I have enough work this year without adding on yet another one! And anyway, Harry would need someone strict enough to teach him properly! I would hold him back on this!”

“Teach him what?” Anusha asked curiously.

“Occlumency,” Severus answered.

“Oh,” Anya uttered, looking at both the adults, understanding almost immediately.

“But does he have the concentration to learn occlumency?” Anusha asked.

“Oh, of course, my dear! He just needs motivation!”

“And why don’t _you_ want to teach him, Papa?” Anya asked, frowning at her father confusedly.

“Because he doesn’t trust me enough! And anyway, I get to see that brat’s face enough times in the week! I don’t want anything extra to induce a headache!” 

The twins turn to each other, silently communicating with each other for a few minutes before Anusha looked forward.

 “I’ll teach him,” Anusha said, shrugging.

“What?” Severus said, looking at his daughter with shock.

“Of course I’ll teach him, Papa! You taught me and Anya after all! We’ll be fine! He just has to concentrate a lot. His mood swings are worse than that of a girl having her monthly issues, but he’ll be fine soon,” Anusha said, rolling her eyes tiredly.

Anya chuckled, while Albus regained the twinkle in his eyes. Severus just looked as if he wanted to say no, but he held back anyway. The brat Potter needed this after all.

“Do you think you can do it? Will you be able to handle it?” Albus asked sincerely.

“He’ll be fine, Headmaster. You can trust me on that,” Anusha said determinedly.

“Anusha, you have my full permission to hex him if he gives you any trouble!” 

“Now now Severus! That is unfair! I’m sure Harry will be as good as possible for Anusha!” Albus said.

“He better be,” Severus said, crossing his arms. Albus turned to the girls, who looked on at the exchange with exasperated smirks.

 “Now, I mustn’t waste any more of your time, my dears! Go on then, chop-chop.”

The girls chuckled and nodded and went out of the room. Albus sighed and sat on the sofa. He took off his glasses and rubbed his face tiredly. Severus stood there, looking at his employer. It was at these moments that Severus saw the 116-year-old man, not the jovial, eccentric, headache-inducing man.

“He’ll be fine, Albus. No need to worry about the brat. You can instead worry about what the ministry worker would do! She is being totally insubordinate! And she had the audacity to come to _my_ Potions stores and tell me that it was _illegal_ for me to have so many potions ingredients to myself! And the staff meeting was totally horrendous! She doesn’t know what to do!”

“Don’t you always find the staff meetings horrendous, Severus?” Albus asked, looking at his Potions Master mischievously.

Severus scowled at him.

“Well, n-not like this! This was on the top spot!”

“We’ll see about the woman, my boy. In time.”

____----____----____

 “Hiya, people!” Anusha greeted the teens, as they entered Harry and Ron’s room. Ginny and Hermione were talking amongst themselves about the portion for the fourth year, the Weasley twins were talking and snickering quietly to themselves and Harry and Ron were sitting on the bed, playing exploding snap. It was quite a normal site, but they could feel the tension in the room. Harry was gripping his cards too hard, his face had a sullen expression and he looked tired like he hadn’t had a whole night’s sleep.

 All the teens had agreed to sit there to discuss their matters. It was rather fun, actually, passing jokes, getting to know about the British Wizarding World and sharing their own stories with the others. But right now, it was really serious and they wanted to tell them all about what had occurred in the living room.

“Hey there, Ladies!” Fred said, smirking at them cheekily.

“We’re so glad you decided to grace us with your presence!” George continued.

“Guys, not now. This is serious,” Anusha said, effectively silencing them all. Every teen turned to them, their work quite forgotten.

“Guys, we told Dumbledore about the incident in the basement,” Anusha said, looking at everyone.

Their eyes widened and they turned their heads at Harry, who looked at the girls with rage.

“Why?! Don’t you two have anything better to do than snooping around in _my_ business-” Harry started angrily, looking at them with a bit of rage that was strangely reminiscent of the temper that he had during that dinner.

Anusha sighed exasperatedly.

“ _BECAUSE IF WE DIDN’T THEN YOU’D BLOW THE HOUSE ONE DAY!”_ Anusha screamed at him, finally losing her temper. Everyone stared at her, shocked at her outburst. Harry looked at her like someone slapped him on his face.

“What do you mean by that?” Harry said, his voice suddenly low.

“Harry, you’re a powerful wizard,” Anya said.

When Harry started shaking his head, Anusha snapped at him, “Look, dude, you can deny that, but you are! And shut your mouth and listen to what we have to say!”

Harry snapped his mouth shut at that. Everyone else looked at Anusha and Harry with wide eyes.

“Wow,” Fred muttered.

“She sure has a temper,” George responded back, smirking cheekily.

“You’re either on the wrong side of your teenage life or you are just getting your knickers in a twist because of the lack of information you are being given. And frankly, I know it’s frustrating, but to act like this over lack of information? Seriously?” Anusha commented, raising her eyebrows as she looked into Harry’s Green orbs directly.

Harry looked away, feeling a little bit embarrassed suddenly.

“Don’t worry; you are going to have to learn a technique to counter your anger and keep it in check. It’s called ‘Occlumency’,” Anya explained.

“It’s a type of mind magic which helps you to keep a hold on your emotions and control yourself in every possible situation. At first, Papa was going to teach you, but then I offered to teach you myself. I apologize; this type of magic requires some amount of trust between the teacher and the learner and he’s not really a fan of yours,” Anusha said, looking at him apologetically.

“That comes from both ways,” Harry said bluntly. Anusha blinked at his answer.

“O-kay. So, I’ll be teaching you this mind art so that you can finally stop acting like a hormonal girl.”

“Hey!” Harry exclaimed, but no anger coated his tone.

It’s true!” Anusha defended.

“Now, about your training. It’s going to be easy, maybe a tad bit boring at first. It’s the books part which would be boring for you. But you have to complete reading the material that I give you as soon as possible, and after that, we’ll be coming to the fun part- the application part. Understood?”

“Yes, of course,” Harry replied.

“Any questions?”

“How long is it going to take for me to learn?”

“Depends on you. If you like to laze around with it, then it may take a long time. But, if you want to learn this technique and control your anger and your emotions too, then it can be a piece of cake. The choice is yours,” Anusha said, shrugging.

Harry looked at her for a long while, before nodding.

“Good, then I’ll get the books for you. Start with them now.”

____----____----____

Thus, Harry’s occlumency lessons began with Anusha as his instructor.

Harry was extremely embarrassed at his failure to control his emotions and not get angry at everything. He didn’t know what was going on with him. All he knew that it all started on when he and Cedric arrived at the Graveyard. Everything went downhill from there- Cedric’s death, the duel with Voldemort, the incident in the hospital wing, his summer, the dementors and then coming back home to find that he was being accused of lying and creating mass panic. Oh, and also, not being told anything about what is going on. And to put a cherry on top of the cake, he had to attend a trial.

He wouldn’t admit it, but he was secretly glad that the twins had told Dumbledore of his outburst in the basement. Now he had to learn Occlumency with Anusha as his teacher. Frankly, he was glad that it was the younger Snape who was teaching him, not the Potions Master. He didn’t trust that man, and he seriously didn’t understand how the hell the girls could be his daughters. It was almost… nonsensical. But after watching them interact with him, he felt a bit of jealousy and envied the girls somewhat for having a sort of family that was intact, even though Snape had participated in the first war and their mother died.

Back to the topic, he wanted to prove to himself and to the others that he could actually control himself and his emotions.

But who said that it was going to be easy, huh?

It had taken Harry almost a week to complete the books that Anusha had given him.

“Those books were given to me and Anya by Papa. They contain the best theories for occlumency. Read them very carefully. If you have anything to ask, then you can ask me,” She had said, placing the books on the bed of the room he and Ron were sharing. They weren’t huge, giant tomes with countless pages, but they were quite big. But Harry had been determined to complete the books.

So, therefore, he and Anusha went on to occupy a separate room which was secluded from the major part of the house, for less noise and to make him concentrate more.

The room was pretty much empty, just two old armchairs in there that were coated with a thick layer of dust. But she flicked her wand at them both to get them clear of the dust and make them look cleaner. She gestured him to sit down, while she went and leaned against the wall, looking at him closely.

He felt a bit uncomfortable in her presence. He didn’t know why he did, but there was just something about her that made him feel… weird. He just didn’t understand.

_What is it about her that makes me feel weird about her?_

Sadly, he didn’t get an answer. He sighed.

_I should’ve expected that…_

He snapped out of his daze and observed her way of dressing. It was completely minimalistic, completely opposite to Ginny and Hermione’s way of dressing. They wore something colorful, typically girlish sort of clothes. Well, Hermione wore less of them as compared to Ginny, but still. Anusha was wearing a deep blue full shirt with black tight ankle length jeans and a light blue jacket thrown on top of it. She wore black shoes which looked suitable for running anytime.

“Okay Harry, welcome to your first class of Occlumency,” Anusha said, smirking little at him. He smiled a bit unsurely.

“Thank you.”

“Now, I’ll repeat what Papa had told me and Anya when we had taken these lessons. He had said, ‘It’s going to be easy for you both if you make it easy and difficult if you make it difficult’,” Anusha said, as she stood on her spot, staring at him continuously.

Then she straightened suddenly, pushing herself against the wall and coming to stand in front of him.

“Harry, you’ve completed the theory aspect of Occlumency. So, the thing that remains to teach you is the application part. Now, I assume you must have read of the spell that is used to cast to enter your mind, right?” Anusha said softly, coming to stand in front of him. He nodded.

“I’ll explain it for you just for my own satisfaction. The incantation is ‘ _Legilimens’_ and you simply point your wand at the person to invade his or her mind. It’s actually a spell that is used in practice of Occlumency. You’ll be seeing a lot of this spell for the next few weeks, okay?”

Harry nodded, his face totally serious, as he felt tensed and a bit anxious.

“Hey, calm down. It’s alright if you don’t get it right on the first try, okay?” Anusha said gently, looking at him with a calming smile. Harry took in a deep breath and nodded. Anusha’s smile faded as her mask of seriousness placed itself back on her face. She took a few steps back and took out her wand from her holster which was on her right forearm and pointed it at him with steady hands. He flinched but stopped and readied himself.

“Harry, just think of something that you don’t want me or anyone else to know,” Anusha began. Harry nodded and concentrated for a while.

“Ready?” Anusha asked after a few moments.

Harry nodded, opening his eyes.

“Now, just imagine a wall around that, and try your hardest to block me, okay?”

Harry nodded and concentrated hard.

“Harry, are you ready?” Anusha asked.

Harry nodded shakily.

“Hey, it’s alright. Like I said, it would not be the end of the world if you are not able to block me the first time, okay?”

Harry nodded, the knot in his stomach twisting and turning.

“Alright, then. On the count of three, okay? One…two…three… _Legilimens_!”

Harry felt a weird sensation of being poked in his brain. Like someone was moving through his mind, reading him, reading his secrets and invading his privacy.

“Harry, focus!” Anusha snapped as she shot him a glare. Harry blinked and concentrated hard to block her out of the shields. Soon, she broke through the shields and saw his thoughts about Cho. She smirked, pulling back and canceling her spell. Harry looked at her grumpily as she laughed quietly.

“Who’s Cho Chang, Harry? You’re teensy little crush?” Anusha said, her laughter growing louder as Harry leveled a glare at her.

“Shut up,” He mumbled. Anusha chuckled.

“You’re so adorable! But for what it’s worth, she’s very cute! And an Asian too! Wow! That’s your preference, huh?”

Harry put his head in his hands and groaned in defeat. Anusha laughed on.

“Please tell me you’ve tried talking to her?”

“Yes,”

“Oho! How was that like? Butterflies in your stomach? Heart doing Flip-flops?”

“She was Cedric Diggory’s girlfriend, okay?” He blurted out. Anusha’s laughter faded away as she looked at him. He sighed.

“I’m so sorry, Harry. But, if you like her then, you can try it out, you know. You never know how this may work out for you.”

“Let’s just continue with Occlumency. I’m so terrible at this!” Harry whined.

“Hey, I told you, it’s okay. Just concentrate, alright? Try it again. Focus on a piece of information and build your walls around it, okay?”

He nodded, closing his eyes.

“I am ready,” He spoke up after a few moments. Anusha nodded.          

“Well then, let’s try it again. One, two, three…… _Legilimens!”_

____----____----____

Harry concentrated hard, trying to keep Anusha out of his mind as he focused on something, anything that was important enough to keep her away from it.

_What’s the one thing that comes under ‘most important’?_

Instantly, images of his childhood came up. He gasped, his breaths increasing as he desperately tried to keep them away from her.

 _Oh no!_ He thought, as she flitted through his darkest, most personal memories. His abusive childhood, Petunia screaming at him, doing all the chores in the house, Vernon screaming in his face, his purple head inches away from his small one, Dudley playing ‘Harry-hunting’ with his friends, his beating at their hands- and all the others.

He could feel her horror increasing as she looked on at his living conditions before he had joined Hogwarts. The cupboard under the stairs. With a small, unkempt bed and filled with spiders, dust and old, broken toys and an empty bucket for his basic necessities.

_The picture made by his five-year-old self, torn and burnt in front of him as his uncle laughed._

_Trying to fit into the pictures and being pushed or pinched away by his aunt, who glared at him, before smiling at the camera._

And that one memory when his uncle finally took it too far…

_It had been the summer before his first year, before his life had changed forever. It was a hot summer evening, and Harry had just finished washing the utensils and putting them back in their respective places._

_“Be quick!” Petunia’s voice snapped at him. Harry winced as he worked faster to clean the kitchen counter and heaved a quiet sigh as he finally completed his tasks. The small plate filled with a sliver of chicken slice, with bread and water had done nothing to assuage his hunger._

**_Well, at least she gave me something to eat after three days… if Uncle Vernon was here, he would’ve made sure I starved tonight…_ **

_Uncle Vernon was going to work late. He had heard his Aunt speaking in the phone to him when he came back in from weeding the garden. He was thankful for that._

**_It seems there will be some peace for me…_ **

_The door opened and slammed shut. Harry heard heavy footsteps thudding unevenly on the wood board as he came in. He was clearly drunk tonight. Harry sighed._

**_So much for the peace…_ **

_“FREAK!” Vernon screamed, spotting him in the entrance of the kitchen. Harry snapped out of his daze and rushed to his uncle._

_“Yes, Uncle Vernon?”_

_The large, fat man simply threw his heavy briefcase and large turncoat at the small child and gestured him to put it in their proper places._

_Harry was barely able to catch them both, before taking them and putting them properly in their places. He could see his larger cousin sitting in front of the T.V. and glaring at him, before smirking nastily. Harry gulped as he walked away quickly._

_Just as he was about to reach the entrance of the hallway, he heard a loud crash from behind him. He turned to see Dudley grinning at him. The whole set of plates and dishes that he had just washed were all lying on the floor, broken into pieces._

_“MUM, DAD, LOOK WHAT THE FREAK DID!” Dudley shouted at the top of his voice, loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood._

_Vernon and Petunia came running in, hearing their darling son’s voice. When they came in to see what the commotion was, they gasped._

_Harry was frozen on the spot, shaking with fear. He knew there was no getting out of this. They weren’t going to believe him anyway. Not while Dudley pointed his finger at him._

_“Oh my word! My beautiful china set!” Petunia gasped, walking over quickly, pushing past the small boy roughly to get to the broken plates and cups._

_“POTTER!” Vernon screamed, pulling Harry roughly by the upper arm. Harry hissed, his thin, frail arm crushed by the large, meaty hand, but he forgot his pain as he was roughly turned to face him. Their faces were inches away. Harry shook like a leaf at his uncle furious expression._

_“I’ve had it with you, you freak!” Vernon screamed in his face, before he smacked Harry hard in the face, hard enough to temporarily knock him down. His glasses flew away and crashed on the floor. He crawled to get them, but Dudley crushed them with his foot._

_He barely turned his head up, before he felt his foot being grabbed tightly enough to make him shout in pain. His foot was squeezed more tightly as he was dragged into the living room like an animal on a leash._

_He felt his nose strike against the corner of the wood, making it bleed against the carpet. His blood left a thin trail behind him as his foot was dropped on the floor. He groaned in pain as his ankle hit the floor, increasing the pain in his leg._

_The T.V.’s voice had been increased to the full volume as he heard the clink on Vernon’s belt hitting the floor. Harry began to move away slightly in fear, but in vain. He was pulled back with his overlarge shirt. He felt the thin fabric being torn apart as he was pushed back on the ground._

_The first whip of the belt made him scream, but it was so weak that it was drowned out by the sounds of the action movie coming on the T.V.. The next whip of the belt hit on the same spot, making him scream louder._

_Harry endured the whipping, occasionally screaming and groaning when the belt hit the sore spots. He felt his face drenched with tears and sweat as Vernon continued with his barbaric acts._

_Finally, he stopped, panting heavily as he stepped back._

_“This will remind you who to fear, you freak!” Vernon murmured, unzipping his trousers._

Harry panicked and pushed her out of his head violently, the force of which made Anusha flew and bang against the door with a grunt. She slipped down the door with a pained expression, rubbing the back of her head. Harry looked at her with shock and horror.

“Merlin! Anusha, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” He asked as he ran to her and knelt down beside her and putting a hand on her shoulder. Anusha nodded quickly to him.

“I’m fine, I’m fine! But I should be asking that to you!”

“Anusha-” Harry began.

“Why do you even live with them?” Anusha cut him off, looking at him angrily.

“They’re my aunt and uncle, Anusha. I have to. They’re the only family I have,” Harry recited his parroted response. Anusha stared at him incredulously.

“Are you fucking kidding me?! There isn’t any rules or regulations for that! You are free to live with whomever you want! You have so many people who would love to take you in!”

“I can’t! I can’t live with Sirius, especially not now, not when Dumbledore and I are being pointed at and accused of so many things! He’ll be caught because of me! I can’t live with Remus, he has his own problems to go through, what with the werewolf legislation and lack of a job! He’ll be burdened because of me! I can’t live with the Weasleys because I don’t want to be a burden to them as well! They’re going through a lot right now and taking me in would mean that they’ll be under greater scrutiny! And I’m not allowed to live at Hogwarts, since it’s closed during summers. There wouldn’t be professors there to look after me!”

“Ugh, this is ridiculous! Please tell me you told someone about this-”

“NO! I can’t! No way!”

“Oh fuck no Harry!”

“Do you even realize what this would do? Sirius would reveal himself just to kill them! And that would be the same case with the other Order members! Think, Anusha! If this goes wrong, then they would be all be in trouble! I don’t want them to get hurt because of me! And it’s just the next two years. If I was able to survive for fifteen years, then I can survive the next two years as well.”

Anusha sighed tiredly, rubbing her forehead in frustration.

“And you can’t tell anyone. Please. I need to keep this from others.”

Anusha stared at him for a long moment, before nodding at him.

“Oh, Harry. Fine, I won’t tell anyone about this.”

“Thank you.” He sighed in relief. Anusha shook her head at him sadly, sliding to him and embracing him, hard. He jerked in surprise, but didn’t push her away.

“I’m so sorry Harry. I’m so sorry. I should’ve pulled away, but I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t help but delve deeper. I forgot that I was invading your privacy till you pushed me away.”

Harry hugged her back, her gentle warmth getting him under control slightly.

“It’s… it’s alright, Anusha. Promise me you’ll not tell anyone?”

He felt her nod against his shoulder vehemently, before pulling back to look into his eyes.

“I promise. But… umm… could… could you tell me, what happened? What did you uncle do to you?”

Harry looked at her for a long moment without any expression on his face. Anusha felt she had overstepped.

“I shouldn’t have asked that. I’m-I’m sorry.” She pulled back slightly, her arms sliding away from him.

“He urinated on me.”

Anusha froze as she stared at him. His face was a mixture of embarrassment and humiliation as he looked down in shame.

“What?!”

“Yes. There are times when I still feel the warm, stinking liquid on my back, and the wounds that stung so badly.”

“If I ever come by them, I swear…” Anusha muttered, leaving the threat hanging in the air. Harry nodded, sniffling as he looked back up at her. She was shocked to see the redness in his eyes and the tears that slipped down his cheeks. She slid to him and embraced him again. This time, he embraced her back tightly, desperate to feel warm.

“I’m so sorry, Harry,” She whispered, burying her nose in his neck as a few tears slipped from her eyes as well.

____----____----____

It had been a bit awkward for a few days, till Harry simply shrugged it off and concentrated on his lessons. But now, there was an understanding between the two of them, the kind that never was there before. He trusted her more and vice versa. The others were confused, but they didn’t ask.

Like this, the Occlumency lessons went on for a few days. He was showing little improvement than before, but it wasn’t enough. Both their patience was waning. Harry’s confidence was slowly waning along as well. But Anusha kept him motivated somehow.

Anusha leveled her wand at him again and said, “Harry, remember, please. All you have to do is focus on all those things about your life that are private to you and you only, okay? Three, two, one… _Legilimens!”_

He tried his hardest again but failed when she broke his defenses and entered his mind again. Anusha pulled back suddenly, canceling the spell. She had a thoughtful look in her eyes as she stared at the wall for some time.

“One second. I’ll be right back,” Anusha said, running out of the room. Harry looked after her in surprise, before he ran after her, catching up with her quickly.

“What’s wrong?” He asked as they descended the stairs to the ground floor and towards the basement.

“I need to ask something to Sirius! It’s about your occlumency!”

They reached the basement, where they could hear Sirius’ voice ringing out, saying, “Come now, Ronald! You know you can do better than that!”

They entered the room to find Sirius and Ron standing across from each other, with the others at a side. Sirius was pointing his wand at Ron, smirking while Ron was breathing heavily, looking frustrated. Harry raised his eyebrows at that.

_Well, it seems as though they’re having fun…_

All eyes turned to them as both of them put their hand down.

“Sirius, I need to ask you something. It’s for Harry, okay?

“Alright.”

“Which element do the Potters have the most affinity to?”

“Like which element can they control?”

“Yeah.”

Sirius looked at Anusha thoughtfully for a while. After what felt like an eternity, he said, “They have the most affinity to water.”

“So they’re water mages, huh?” Anusha said, nodding to herself. Harry and everyone else except Remus and Anya looked at her confusedly. They had no idea what Anusha was talking about.

“Yes. James wasn’t that potent, but Charlus was really one of the best at it. Lily, on the other hand, wasn’t able to delve into the Mage magic that deeply, but she had some affinity to earth. She wasn’t able to delve deeper, because, you know…” Sirius trailed off, his expression turning sad.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments as everyone looked between Harry, Remus and Sirius.

“Well, thanks! I’ll be seeing you at dinner!” Anusha said quickly, dissolving the tension and walking out of the room. Harry looked at everyone.

“I… guess, I’ll see you guys later,” He said, sighing and walking behind her.

“What was that about, Anusha?” Harry asked curiously as they ascended the stairs again. Anusha looked at him in surprise, before she took a deep breath.

“Well, Harry, all families have a certain affinity towards one of the few elements of nature. But only a few of them are able to control that element. This branch of magic is mage magic and there are only a few people in every family who are actually able to respond to the magic. Like, for suppose, I and Anya, as well as our Grandparents and late mother are able to control the element fire. Papa can control wind. He’s a wind mage,” Anusha said, as they entered the upper floors again.

Harry nodded in understanding.

“So, it’s like, I have this ability to be able to control water and respond to its magic?”

Anusha turned her head to look at him, a smirk on her face.

“Yup! That’s right. Your family is attuned to water, so that makes you a water mage. But you haven’t learned to control it yet,” Anusha said, as they entered the room. She turned to him suddenly, her eyes gleaming with an idea. Harry raised his eyebrows at that look.

“If you are able to learn Occlumency, then you’ll be able to learn how to control your family element, though that would require some training too. But that can be a huge weapon against Voldemort once you master it. So, are you ready to hear what my idea for quickening the process of Occlumency is?”

Harry nodded enthusiastically, determined to master Occlumency at any cost.

“You just have to make water as your barrier, Harry,” Anusha said, smirking at him. Harry frowned, not getting the point.

“Don’t you see? If you are able to create an illusion of this endless amount of quiet waters for an intruder who wants to get inside your mind, then you’d be able to keep them out. Also, the illusion of quiet waters can be quite calming, Harry,” Anusha explained enthusiastically, waving her arms about. Harry smirked at her enthusiasm and nodded, finally understanding what she meant by that.

“So then, Potter. How about you concentrate on making an illusion of endless, quiet waters, huh?” Anusha asked, looking at him and raising her eyebrows.

Harry nodded and sat back in his armchair. He closed his eyes and started building up his wall of defenses. He didn’t see the look Anusha was giving him as she stared at him.

____----____----____

 Raman sighed, as he entered his house. It had been a long day for him. He ran a hand through his brownish black locks as he nodded to his housekeeper, an older lady, who simply bowed to him.

 _“Ramanji, aap aaj kaafi jaldi aa gaye!_ _Kya mai aap ke liye aapke_ office _mai Chai bhijavaoon?_ ”

Raman shook his head.

_“Nahi, nahi! Uski zaroorat  nahi hai! Harsh kahan hai?”_

_“Chote sahib apne kamare mai hain._ _Jab se aap gaye ho, tabe se wahin hai. Woh bas khana khane ke liye niche aaye, aur uske baad phirse waapis chale gaye.”_

Raman sighed. Sometimes, it was tiring, caring for a sixteen-year-old who acted way too quiet and mature for his age.

_Seriously, how did Severus and Amisha handle raising kids?_

Raman snorted.

_Well, I’d hardly count Anusha and Anya as the ‘too quiet and too mature’ type. Though they do have a certain maturity for their age, they still act like a pair of mischievous toerags! Harsh is a totally different case altogether..._

Raman sighed.

_“Ritu, aap Harsh ke kamare mai Chai bhijwa digiye._ _Mai us se baat karunga.”_

_“Ji.”_

The woman bowed slightly and walked off. Raman went in the direction of Harsh’s room, thinking about how his life changed.

It had just been during April when he had found out that one of his cousins and his wife, Harsh’s parents, Abhimanyu and Trisha Acharya, had been killed during an attack by a radical group on a fair they were visiting. Harsh was gravely injured, but he got well.

Raman hadn’t seen him a lot of times, but he had heard quite a lot about him from Abhimanyu. Quiet boy keeping to himself and really good in his studies and interacting with few people in his life, he seemed the classic case of an introvert. But Raman actually got a glimpse of what the teenager really was like during these weeks.

At first, the boy was unresponsive. He just went on sleeping, eating and studying. It was like a constant loop. He didn’t want to play, he didn’t want to walk out; hell, he didn’t even want to leave his room!

He had handled Harsh with patience and care, knowing that these things took time to come out of. But Harsh wasn’t even acknowledging it, not that it deterred Raman. He just continued doing what he had been doing.

And then, Harsh had finally responded. He had been having constant nightmares for a week, due to which he wasn’t able to sleep much. But Raman wasn’t able to know about them, as Harsh had cast silencing charms as he went to sleep. But he had slipped one night and had forgotten to put some silencing charms and as a result, Raman had heard his screams and had rushed to his room.

He still remembered that night when he had rushed to the boy’s room after hearing his screams.

_FLASHBACK-_

_Raman shot down the hallway in his pajamas, hearing his ward’s screams. He reached Harsh’s room and tore open the door to see the young boy trashing against the mattress, his face twisted in horror and agony._

_“NO! NOO! Papa! Ma! Come back! Please! Don’t do this!” The boy was screaming constantly. Raman went to his side and shook the boy frantically._

_“Harsh! Wake up kiddo! It’s alright! Come on! Wake up, Harsh! WAKE UP!”_

_Harsh slowly opened his eyes a bit. He sat up and leaned back against the headrest, blinking and groaning._

_“Hey, calm down buddy. It was just a nightmare,” Raman whispered, looking at the boy, who nodded. Raman just handed him a glass of water. Harsh drank it in one gulp. Raman raised his eyebrows._

_“So, this must be quite a sudden nightmare that would warrant you to wake the whole neighborhood, huh?”_

_Harsh ran his hand through his hair and shook his head._

_“No, nothing that I’ve not experienced for the first time,” Harsh muttered, not realizing to whom he was saying that. Raman raised his eyebrows as he understood what the boy was saying._

_Harsh’s eyes went wide as if were realizing something._

_“So,” Raman began, looking at Harsh a bit sternly, “You were concealing this from me, right?”_

_Harsh sighed and looked at his lap._

_“Yes,” Harsh whispered, looking a bit ashamed._

_“Why? You know you can tell me about it, right?”_

_“I, uh, I didn’t want to trouble you any more than usual. You have taken up enough pains for me, allowing me to live with you. I just didn’t want to be a burden to you any more than I already am,” Harsh said quietly, frowning at his lap. Raman tipped the boy’s head up and made him look into his eyes. The boy blinked at his expression._

_“Harsh, it’s not your fault, kiddo. I know it is hard for you to cope with your parents’ passing and it’s absolutely normal to have nightmares about that buddy. I’m here to help you in any way I can, okay?”_

_Harsh looked at him for a minute, before nodding. The sixteen-year-old snapped his eyes shut to stop the sudden tears from coming out. Raman breathed out and simply embraced the boy comfortingly, rubbing his back soothingly._

_“And don’t you dare say that you’re a burden to me. I didn’t allow you to live with me. You live with me because I wanted you to. And because your father trusted me the most to take care of you,” Raman murmured, feeling a sudden urge to protect this child. He almost blinked in surprise but continued._

_“I know you are almost a man now, but you need someone to look after you. And I will do my best to take up the responsibility that your father has given me. You were the most important person in your parents’ life, kid, and now you are my ward. Kind of like my son. And I promise to take care of you, okay?”_

_Harsh pulled back to look at him, before he breathed in deeply and nodded, a small smile on his lips._

_“Great! Now, would you like to tell me what the nightmare was about?”_

_Harsh hesitated, but cleared his throat and began._

_“Well, umm, this was when I was at the fair...”_

_END FLASHBACK_

He had started opening up to Raman. After all this time, the boy was finally starting to talk to him about how he felt, so he was much better than he had been when Raman had brought him back a few weeks earlier, at the end of April. But he still interacted with absolutely no one of his age. All he ever spoke to was him, the servants in the house and his personal tutor.

Raman knew that he had to think of something fast or else it can be problematic for Harsh in the future. Raman sighed.

_It sure is a responsibility raising a boy, even one as old as Harsh..._

Raman smiled as he opened the door to the boy’s room. He wasn’t surprised to find Harsh sitting at the desk studying. He had been doing nothing else for the past few days.

Raman cleared his throat. The boy turned suddenly, surprised at the interruption before he smiled a little at Raman. Raman returned his smile. He couldn’t help but think how similar to Abhimanyu Harsh was. Tall, a bit lean, short, dark brown hair neatly combed, and a sharp, handsome face- he certainly was the spitting image of his father. On the other hand, he seemed to have inherited his slightly fairer skin color, his brown eyes and his elemental magic from his mother.

“Good evening,” Raman murmured.

“Good evening, Raman,” The boy murmured back demurely.

“So, what are you doing in here? The weather is great outside. You should take some break. You would feel fresh when you get back up.”

“Yes, umm, of course. I’ll go out in a bit. I just have to complete the homework that my tutor gave me.”

“Okay, I ’ll sit with you then,” Raman declared, as he took the chair and sat beside Harsh.

“So, how’s your day been, Raman?” Harsh asked quietly, as he went on writing down the assignment.

“Oh, very well. How about you? I’ve heard that you didn’t get out of your room at all,” Raman said, a tad bit sternly.

Harsh’s face colored a bit as he opened his mouth, but Raman interrupted him.

“You had your food out in the dining room, but that’s it. You didn’t get out of the room otherwise. And you know that is against our rules, don’t you Harsh?”

Harsh sighed but nodded.

“Yes. I just can’t help it, Raman. I just want to succeed and studying is the only way.”

“I know kiddo, but you need to give your brain some rest too. It isn’t going to help if you go on studying all the bloody time!”

“Yes, yes, I’ll try my hardest to go and spend some time out in the gardens.”

“Just the gardens?”

“Yes. I’ve tried to adjust to those boys you introduced, but I couldn’t stand their attitudes much. And it’s clear that they think of me as a snob. So, yes, I am spending my time enjoying the gardens rather than playing with those riff-raffs!”

Raman sighed.

_Well, he’s at least trying to go out… that’s an improvement…_

“Alright, I’ll take you up on that. Now let’s have tea and we’ll see how much you can keep your promise. I’ll join you too.”

Harsh turned his head to look at him with surprise before his face brightened a little.

“Alright!”

Raman smirked and ruffled the boy’s hair, eliciting a half-hearted groan from him as he smoothed it down. Raman chuckled as Harsh shot him a grumpy look.

“Okay, I apologize. Now complete your work quickly or we’ll not be able to go out! You know how Ritu is!”

Harsh chuckled and went back to complete his assignment. Raman frowned concernedly at the boy.

_He is opening up slowly, but he’s still not interacting with any kids his age… I’ve tried introducing him to the kids in the neighborhood, but it seems that he’s not keeping in contact with them much… Hell, he’s not getting out of the house, to begin with… If this goes on, then it’s a bit harmful to him… He won’t be able to interact with the youngsters in the future… I have to think of something quick…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... How was it? Which part did you like the most? The dinner scene? The training? The discussion with Dumbledore and Sev? The occlumency training? Or the new character introduction, Harsh? Please do tell me in the comment section below!!! 
> 
> That's it for now, folks!!
> 
> See ya!
> 
> Edit (03-03-19)- so, I had to add in the part about Harry's treatment of the Dursleys... Or what I thought would've happened with him while living with them... I don't condone child abuse, it's just something really rotten and disgusting that irresponsible and unstable adults do to children for no reason... 
> 
> Th translation for the conversation between Raman and Ritu-  
> “Ramanji, aap aaj kaafi jaldi aa gaye! Kya mai aap ke liye aapke office mai Chai bhijavaoon?”- Sir, you're quite early today! Shall i send for some tea in your study?
> 
> “Nahi, nahi! Uski zaroorat nahi hai! Harsh kahan hai?”- Oh no, there is no need! Where's Harsh?
> 
> “Chote sahib apne kamare mai hain. Jab se aap gaye ho, tabe se wahin hai. Woh bas khana khane ke liye niche aaye, aur uske baad phirse waapis chale gaye.”- the young master is in his room. He has not left his room since you left for work. He just came out of the room for Lunch. Then he went back to his room again.


	7. Proposals, Arguments and Hogwarts letters... Need i say more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh, hi there! It's been like, a while since i posted, huh? I just needed to plan this chapter, it's a bit important, so... I hope you enjoy this chapter... I really do... please tell me how it is...

**Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however, are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.**

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

_CHAPTER VII_

 

They had been practicing occlumency for almost two weeks now. Harry’s water shields became stronger as he thought of various ways of using water as his wall of defense. Anusha was very impressed with his methods.

“Oh, very good Potter! Now you’re actually becoming quite proficient with this!” Anusha said as she canceled the spell. Harry sighed and smiled as he sagged against his armchair, closing his eyes.

“Let’s take a small break, shall we?”

Harry nodded, eyes still closed. She smirked and leaned back against the armchair, resting her head against the headrest and breathing deeply. She stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Harry looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds, wondering if he should ask her the question, wondering if it would offend her if he asked her that. He breathed in deeply, readying himself.

“Anusha?”

“Yup?”

“What was your mother like?”

Anusha looked down at him sharply. He had a curious expression on his face. She hesitated, gulping to clear her throat as she thought of her Ma. She smiled a little, lost in thought.

“Ma… was an extraordinary woman. She was… I don’t know how to explain this to you, Harry, but you could just feel the energy, the confidence, and her power just radiating off her whenever she was there. It’s like if she’s there then everything is going to be okay,” Anusha said, her eyes shining with happiness and awe as she thought about her mother. He smiled at her expression, feeling the familiar pang in his heart as he thought of his mother, wishing, not for the first time, that she were there for him.

“She was one of the best mothers anyone could ever have you know- neither too strict, nor too chummy. We knew we could share things with her, but we also knew that we shouldn’t ever cross her.

“She was a Quidditch fanatic, Harry. We get our obsession from her. I could remember the first Quidditch match I went to. I think I and Anya were three, or four, maybe? But yes, that is one of the best memories that I’ve ever had. She played professional Quidditch occasionally, and almost got into the national team.”

“Really?” He asked, sitting up slightly, listening with rapt attention. Anusha chuckled.

“Yes, but she refused to join because she had the family business to look after and was expecting us too. She was a fire mage, just like the rest of the family, but she could control the element like no one else in our family. She could be called a true prodigy and was on par with the few other wizards and witches out there. I and Anya are trying our hardest to master controlling the fire like she used to.”

“What’s it like now? Controlling fire?” Harry asked, his green eyes shining with curiosity and excitement. Anusha smirked at him.

“Well, I’ll show you,” She said, standing up and going to the fireplace, where a fire was roaring. He stood up and went to stand by her side, watching curiously.

She concentrated hard as she reached out to the magic inside of her, calling out to the magic in the flames. After a few moments, she pulled her hand back slowly, letting it hover in the air. A tendril of fire followed her hand, curling around her hand and rotating in circles before it reduced to a ball above her palm. Harry watched with awe and amazement, his mouth agape.

“Wow,” He murmured. His eyes shifted to her face, which was glowing with the light of the fire. Her eyes were shining brightly as she concentrated on it.

Slowly, she sent back the fire from the path it came from. She sighed, dropping her arm back to her side as she looked at him, to see his emerald eyes staring back at her. She sucked in a breath and ignored the sudden weird feeling in her stomach as she looked into the beautiful green irises.

_Those eyes would never fail to surprise me…_

“That was bloody brilliant! Do you think I can do that?”

She blinked at him and smiled.

“Yes, of course you can! If you practice hard enough!

“Your mother must have been brilliant at it, right?”

“Yes. I don’t think anyone could beat her at that. You know, learning this sort of magic also made it easier for her to learn wandless magic. I think, by the time we were six or seven, she and Papa were both adept at wandless magic.”

“She must have been formidable then,” Harry commented. Anusha snorted.

“Dude, she did her mastery in Defense against the dark arts, Arithmancy and almost considered Charms before she brushed it off. Her weak point was Potions, ancient runes and a bit of Transfiguration, but she still understood the basic aspects of those branches. She was trained in martial arts, alongside Papa and our uncle and she almost took them down on her own. She was not someone to be trifled with,” Anusha said, smirking as she thought of all the times she and Anya were allowed to sit in some of the sessions that included their Papa and Raman _Mama_.

“Wow, I would definitely pay to see that,” Harry said, smirking impishly, as he thought of the Potions master getting beaten up. Anusha looked into his mind and gasped.

“Harry!” She exclaimed, hitting him on the arm. He flinched, wincing as he touched the spot where she hit him.

“Oww! Blimey, what was that for?”

“Being a berk,” Anusha answered, crossing her arms and huffing, smirking despite the situation. He smirked back, rubbing his now sore arm.

“I and Anya used to look up to her. She was our hero, our role model, which made it harder for us to cope when she was murdered,” Anusha said, her expression changing immediately as she thought of the day, five years ago.

Harry sobered, looking at her, feeling guilty for bringing it up.

“I’m sorry, Anusha. I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s alright, Harry. No sweat,” Anusha said, winking at him. He smiled back hesitatingly.

“Now, if you don’t mind, we’ve been here for six hours straight! I think it is time to call it a day!”

Harry blinked, looking out the window. Sure enough, the day was just about to end. He heard a growl from beside him and turned to see Anusha touching her stomach, her face heating up. He chuckled as her stomach growled again.

“Merlin, this is embarrassing,” She groaned, hiding her face in her hands.

“It’s alright. I’m hungry too. Let’s see if supper is ready or not,” He said, steering her gently as she face-palmed and led her out of the room.

____----____----____

Life went on in 12 Grimmauld Place. The teens were progressing with Sirius and Remus as their trainers. They were more adept with the spells and hexes than before. Anusha and Harry were able to attend as many times as possible, cutting short their time for Occlumency now that Harry was becoming more and more adept at it. Nearly three weeks after Harry had started with Occlumency, he was quite adept at it. He was able to control himself and there were hardly any bursts of explosive anger.

Training with Sirius and Remus was absolutely awesome. They both were somehow in sync with each other. If Sirius was a bit of a joking around with the others sometimes type of guy, then Remus was the more let’s-be-serious-you-signed-up-for-this-shit-yourself sort of guy who would keep all of them on their toes and have fun at the same time.

Harry was starting to practice controlling elemental magic. It was during breakfast one day that he just pushed his empty plate away and brought his glass of water to sit in front of him. He concentrated on the water with all his might, calling out to the magic in it. The water spasm a bit, before it started rising in the air a little. Harry felt a grin on his face.

“Good enough Harry. Now get it back into the glass as slowly as possible,” Anusha murmured from beside him. Harry nodded, his attention solely on the glassful of water and slowly motioned it back into the glass. He sighed as the water went into the glass again. Harry sighed, slumping against the chair, grinning madly.

“Well done, Harry!” Anya said, smirking as everyone applauded.

“Blimey mate! That was really good!” Ron exclaimed.

“Was that elemental magic?” Ginny asked him.

“That’s so frickin’ awesome!” Fred and George said collectively.

“Atta boy, Prongslet!” Sirius said, slapping a friendly hand on his back.

“That’s just the start. You keep on working like this you’ll be able to do more,” Anusha said, smirking at him. Harry smirked back.

The twins were too wrapped up in this bubble to notice that they were actually nearing the end of their holidays. It was only when their father had stopped after an Order meeting and told them that he was getting Raman to issue a portkey back home next week just before their birthday that they actually felt the pang in their hearts about leaving their father here. But he was adamant that they should be in India by the end of next week. But while they wanted to shirk the rules, they also knew that it was the right thing to get back to their normal lives. Their _Nani_ wouldn’t let them stay with him anyway.

Little did they know…

____----____----____

Raman sat in his armchair, frowning as he thought of what had occurred earlier that day. He sipped his Firewhiskey from the glass that he was holding as he thought of the conversation he had with his ‘guest’.

_Flashback-_

_Raman sat languidly, sipping his coffee and letting the smell and taste of it sooth his slightly fraying nerves. He wasn’t sure what the ‘guest’ needed from Vikram, going as far as taking an appointment for an urgent meeting at the earliest convenience. Vikram had immediately become suspicious and discussed this with him and Sarakshi in detail. Raman was able to convince them somehow that he would be able to handle this meeting. Vikram had finally agreed on letting him go alone, sending a letter to the visitor, informing him about the place and time of the meeting. So, here he was, sipping what was an excellent coffee and looking out for signs of any danger._

_“Mr. Maurya?” A smooth, yet authoritative drawl sounded from behind him. He looked behind him to see the ‘guest’ standing there. His robes looked too extravagant and showy for this kind of public restaurant. But Raman had to admit, this guy did justice to his description._

_“Mr. Malfoy. Good afternoon,” Raman said, standing up and offering his hand. The blond albino shook his hand firmly but quickly as Raman nodded at him._

_“Please, take a seat,” Raman said, gesturing him to the seat across from him while going back to sit in his. Malfoy sat down, looking at him enquiringly._

_“I’m afraid **Lord** Maurya wouldn’t be able to make it to this meeting today. Instead, I’ll be conducting this meeting on his behalf.”_

_The blond looked at him, frowning in confusion._

_“Might I ask why he won’t be able to attend this meeting?”_

_“Oh, of course. It… it is quite a delicate time for the Mauryas right now, especially for Lord Maurya. There were attacks made by some unidentified group on the Head of Mauryas, as well as their Granddaughters. As of now, I can only group them as radicals with no structure, no planning or a proper leader. But the family’s protection is my complete priority. So, as of now, all the meetings are being handled by me.”_

_Malfoy hummed, nodding slowly as he stared at him, sizing him up._

_“Forgive me, but as a Lord and Head of a large business, I don’t think **I** would ever give my **assistant** the duty of handling **my** business meetings, especially one as **important** as this one,” Malfoy said haughtily, looking at him blandly._

_Raman made a very conscious effort to not roll his eyes at him._

**_Oh, Merlin, Severus has to deal with this every day? I can hardly bear to sit with this asshat, and this meeting has barely begun… truly, brother, you are awesome… I’ll be sure to give him a bottle of Lugdi to him the next time…_ **

_“Oh, I’m not only his assistant; I’m his son,” Raman said, looking at him and giving him a very polite smile when all he wanted to do was just get out of there. He settled more comfortably in his chair, folding his left leg on his right and staring at Malfoy as he stuttered and stumbled for a response._

_“Pardon me, but I wasn’t aware that Mr.-”Raman gave him a look, which was rewarded by an annoyed gush of breath as he corrected himself, “Lord Maurya had a son. As far as I was aware, he only had one child. A daughter, who’s deceased now.”_

_Raman blinked as he thought of Amisha._

**_I miss you, sis… If you were here, you’d have been conducting this meeting with me and delivering some snarky comments at him…_ **

_Raman blinked back to nod at him._

_“Yes. My sister, Amisha was the eldest daughter and Heiress of our family. It was a dark time for us when we heard of her demise.”_

_Malfoy nodded and looked almost sympathetically at him._

_“I offer my condolences for your family’s loss. It must have been quite hard for you to bear your sister’s death.”_

_Raman nodded solemnly._

_“Is her husband still alive?” Malfoy asked, sounding inquisitive, but Raman knew what he was doing- digging for information as to who the ‘husband’ is._

_“Yes, he’s still alive. Her death hit him hard. He hasn’t really moved on. He likes to keep busy to get his mind off it, but he visits us whenever he can.”_

_“The late Heiress is survived by her children, isn’t she?”_

_Raman stared at him with a scrutinizing expression for a few moments, before he finally decided to answer._

_“Yes. Twin girls. They are the heiresses to the businesses and the fortune.”_

_Malfoy nodded. Raman decided to return the gesture._

_“And do you have a successor?”_

_Malfoy blinked in surprise at his question, before he got a glint of slight happiness, mixed with pride in his eyes._

_“Yes. I’m succeeded by my only son, Draco, presumably your nieces’ age. He’s a talented boy,” Malfoy spoke with a hint of pride in his voice. Raman nodded._

_“I’m sure of that, Lord Malfoy.”_

_“I presume you’re married?”_

_Raman instantly thought of the light brown eyes that had stared at him with hurt and pain as he said that he was rejecting her. Five years and he still felt a dull pain when he thought of that conversation…_

_He blinked back and said, “No. I just didn’t find any inclination towards anyone.”_

_“I’ve heard the news that you assumed guardianship of Harsh Acharya.”_

_Raman made a conscious effort of not simply taking out his wand and obliviating him on the spot. Instead, he said, “Yes, he’s my cousin’s son. An only child.”_

_“Yes, he’s not completely pureblood, is he? Father a pureblood and mother a half-blood.”_

_Raman’s fists clenched as he heard the undertone in the man’s voice. He fingered his wand silently._

**_If this fucker speaks like this again, I’ll definitely slit his throat…_ **

_“I know a half-blood as well. He’s quite intelligent, if not a bit snarky and sour around people. I would’ve brought him, but his job doesn’t let him out most of the time. You must know of him, the youngest Potions Master of Magical Britain, Severus Snape?” Malfoy asked very deliberately._

_Raman resisted the urge to smirk._

**_Oh dude, you’ve got no idea…_ **

_“He sort of has an in with me. I kind of funded him in school. He’s very talented, but he’s a **half-blood** nonetheless. I must admit, I feel the number of half-bloods is increasing day by day, which brings me to the reason I wanted to conduct this meeting with Lord Maurya. But, as he’s… indisposed, I presume I can put forth my proposal to you?” Malfoy asked. Raman looked at him for a few seconds, all the while thinking **‘Finally he’s going to start…’**_

_“By all means, sir,” Raman answered, looking at him with feigned curiosity._

_Malfoy relaxed in his seat and took a deep breath._

_“As we see nowadays, the wizarding world is changing. There are different views, different people who scoff at tradition and old laws. The number of pureblood families is decreasing every day. This decrease is due to the families who make the mistake of mixing their pure, unadulterated blood with members of non-magical blood, with those who do not deserve this gift of magic, this power in their hands. This mixing of blood, in turn, is yielding them children who have no purity of blood, who have absolutely no history, no sense of tradition attached to them. It’s extremely repulsive!”_

_Raman was barely able to stop himself from just standing up and walking away from the place. He sighed inwardly._

**_Oh, Merlin, it’s that argument… I seriously need more than a cup of coffee for this kind of conversation… I wish they sold Firewhiskey or some good old muggle scotch here…  _ **

_“Our world is increasingly filled by half-bloods and Mudbloods who have no right to live in the place that is ours and ours alone. They do not have the privilege of stepping into it. As a young man, I wanted to do something about this…. I wanted to rid our world of this dirt, this… this filth. Then I got my chance of doing just that. I got the chance of cleaning our world so that we purebloods are the only ones in it. I must admit, that idea backfired.”_

_Raman came very, very close to rolling his eyes and snorting really hard. But he controlled himself somehow, because if he did snort, then he would change Malfoy’s hairstyle with the force of his snort._

_“But I still wanted to do something the right way! It is **our world** , built by **our ancestors**! We will take back what is ours!” Malfoy said, nearly standing up, sounding completely passionate._

_Raman looked up at the blond, mouth slightly agape as he blinked._

**_Damn… if he actually used his brains for once and concentrated on his business, then he would’ve actually been Vikram’s rival! Ugh well, talents wasted…_ **

_“So I along with a group of people who share my ideas have come together and formed a group to eliminate those folks who are of impure blood and hence undeserving of a place in the wizarding world. So, I ask you and your family on the behalf of our benevolent leader to grace us with your presence and join us. With your family’s support, we’ll be able to conclude this war against the unworthy.”_

_Raman stayed silent for a few long moments, looking as though he was accessing and thinking about the offer. Then, he looked up at Malfoy and smirked at him._

_“So basically, you want me and my family to join your Dark Lord Voldemort.”_

_The look on Malfoy’s face would’ve been hilarious in any other situation._

_“I beg your-”_

_“Cut the crap, please. I know he’s alive, and that he’s hiding somewhere. It’s not particularly difficult to not receive that kind of Intel when you are a man like me.”_

_Malfoy’s expression changed as he looked at him with a sneer._

_“Well, don’t you know a lot, boy? So, if you really value your family’s life, then you’ll be taking this proposition of mine to Lord Maurya like a good little assistant. He can either join the right side of history or the wrong side, because, after this, our Lord isn’t giving your family another chance,” Malfoy said softly, looking at him smugly as if Raman would instantly accept the offer._

_Raman looked at him with an unreadable expression, trying his hardest not to kill him right there on that spot; instead, he took a deep breath to keep himself focused._

_“Go fuck yourself.”_

_Malfoy’s face changed into one of rage._

_“What, do you think I’m an idiot or a novice who would instantly get scared when a megalomaniac’s **servant** comes and threatens me? I have been working in this business for almost nineteen years. And did you really think that my family would say yes instantly just because a group of radicals come and try to manipulate us? Especially considering when my nieces have been attacked by the same group. You’re threatening the Mauryas here, Malfoy. Trust me; you’re not the first to do so and neither would you be the last. They didn’t succeed and nor would you, ever. So, take this offer of yours and shove it up your ass. We don’t need it.”_

_“You’re taking the wrong decision, boy,” Malfoy muttered threateningly._

_“The wrong decision would be joining the murderer who destroys life because he thinks he has the right to do so. You can take my answer to the Lord of yours,” Raman shot back, clearly done with the conversation._

_Malfoy stood up, looking down at him with the most poisonous look he could muster as he took out his wand from his cane. Raman stood up in a flash, pinning the blond against the wall and pointing his knife at his throat. Malfoy tried overpowering him but in vain. Raman tightened his grip on the man._

_“I could kill you right this instant. I have no qualms about it, and if I remember correctly, neither do you. But, unlike your Lord, I don’t get my kicks targeting innocent people, nor would I ever do it on the orders of a monster. I am ready to kill because I swore to protect my family in any way possible and if this is what I have to do, then so be it,” Raman whispered, pressing his knife to the man’s throat and looking into his eyes. They looked back at him with fear._

_“But I am only sparing you because you have a family to take care of. So, I’m letting you go this time. But, after this meeting, get your ass back to England. I don’t know about you, but I really am a very busy person, what with handling the business and security of the Mauryas. I don’t want to babysit a pampered middle-aged man who thinks he can pull his weight just because he has a title before his name.”_

_Raman loosened his grip on Malfoy, who reluctantly put his wand back into the holster and looking at him with both fear and rage in equal parts._

_“You’ll be paying for that, kid.”_

_“Well, I am paying for your coffee sir. Please, that’s the only kind gesture you are getting from me. Now, get lost.”_

_Malfoy gave him a nasty look and sauntered off. Raman made a face at him and flicked his wand silently at the man’s back. Instantly, the words, ‘Point me my ass’ appeared on the black coat._

_Raman smirked as one of the waitresses looked at Malfoy’s back and giggled silently._

**_It’s going to be quite some time before he realizes what an utter moron he’s been made…_ **

_-END FLASHBACK_

Raman sighed as he took another sip of his Firewhiskey. He knew that after this meeting, the Death Eaters would be more pumped to attacking them. He wasn’t worried about Vikram and Sarakshi’s protection, but he was worried about the Twins’ safety. They’ll be attending their classes the moment they come back. He could either be very obvious- get them some personal bodyguards or, he could have some of them trail the girls at all times.

But either of those ideas won’t be taken positively by the twins. Sooner than later, they would somehow rid themselves of the bodyguard and just go off on their own. And that would then be the greatest catastrophe ever. He had observed men trailing Vikram and Sarakshi one day as they were walking around in the shopping center of Delhi. They were clearly waiting for any sign of vulnerability from him or the Elder Mauryas.

_Damn it, things are going to get pear-shaped really fast if I don’t do something about it… Now, apart from the twins, Malfoy would make sure to get information on me as well… I’ll have to get Harsh to a safe place as fast as possible… At least Vikram and Sarakshi agreed to what I’m about to do… Now it’s only Severus and Harsh that I have to convince… Somehow, I’m getting the feeling that that is going to be an even greater feat than with the Elder Mauryas…_

____----____----____

Albus Dumbledore sat in his seat behind his desk in his office at Hogwarts. His hands were pressed together as he observed his guests for a little while. He was secretly glad that Umbridge decided to go to the Ministry for some meetings and would be there for the whole day. If she were here, then Severus wouldn’t have been a part of the meeting. A tray filled with a pot of tea, cups and little pastries and biscuits sat on one side of his table. His phoenix, Fawkes, sat in his usual place beside him, looking at him inquisitively.

His guests were the Anusha and Anya’s Grandparents, Vikram and Sarakshi Maurya themselves, along with their adoptive son, Raman Acharya (He had no idea that they had adopted a kid. So he had been very surprised when Severus had told him about that…). The elder Mauryas were seated in front of him, while Severus and Raman stood behind them.

The elder Mauryas owned to their status, wearing robes which looked quite extravagant and in colors which complemented each other. But unlike the Malfoys and the other pureblood families here, they knew how to hold themselves and not appear to be proud or stupid.

Raman Acharya, on the other hand, was a dashing young man who was almost as tall as Severus, but not lean or neglecting his body.

_Or exercise for that matter… Gellert was a lot like him as well…_

Meanwhile, Severus gave an inquisitive look to Raman, who just shook his head at him and mouthed ‘wait’. Severus just raised an eyebrow at him and looked ahead again, impatient for the meeting to begin.

“Good afternoon! I’m Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts! To what do I owe this pleasure, Lord Maurya?” Albus began, smiling benignly.

Vikram shared a long look with Sarakshi, who sighed and nodded reluctantly. He then turned to look at Raman.

“Go on. Tell them about your idea, Raman,” Vikram said, turning his head back to stare at his lap.

Raman nodded and stood straighter. He turned to look at Severus apologetically and was rewarded with a look of utter confusion.

“I have a suggestion for you Severus.”

The Potions Master nodded, waiting for his brother to speak.

“I think the twins should stay here with you,” Raman stated, his voice sure and confident.

The reaction was instantaneous. Severus turned sharply to look at Raman. Albus, on the other hand, felt his hopes rise up suddenly. But he schooled his expression to one of polite curiosity. He didn’t want to make anyone of these four suspicious.

“What?! Are you joking?” Severus exclaimed, looking at Raman incredulously. Raman shook his head.

“No, I mean it, for real. They need to stay here.”

Severus’ expression turned from confusion to mild anger.

“Why?! You know what’s going on here! If I let them stay then they would be under greater threat!” Severus said, his voice up an octave as he stepped closer to Raman. Raman huffed.

“Severus, they would be under greater threat if they’re sent back to India!” He shot back. Severus scoffed.

“Are you kidding me?! They have their family there! They’ll be kept safe no matter what!”

“Their family is _here_! And it’s _you_! And no matter how hard we try, we can’t keep them safe there! Especially after the meeting I’ve had with Lucius Malfoy!”

Severus stopped short.

“Excuse me?”

Raman nodded tiredly, rubbing his face.

“Yes, he had been sending letters, hinting about wanting a meeting arranged with Vikram. And then he finally straightaway asked for a meeting with him,” Raman said, his voice sounding tired.

“And you agreed?” Severus asked, looking at him for clarification.

Raman nodded.

“Yes, because rejecting his proposal would’ve been dangerous, especially after the half-hearted attacks on them both. So, we agreed and I somehow convinced Vikram that I would go in his place.”

“Thank Merlin,” Severus murmured. Raman chuckled at seeing Vikram’s indignant expression, who muttered something which sounded like ‘I can take care of myself!’.

“Yeah, that was my reaction too. We had decided to arrange the meeting in one of those public coffee shops. He agreed readily, but he was quite disgruntled that Vikram hadn’t been the one attending the meeting.”

Severus and Albus looked on at Raman as he continued.

“He did seem quite smooth at first, but it was clear what he was there for. He clearly wanted the Mauryas to become a part of the Death Eaters. And I was right. He had brought a proposition from Voldemort- to join him,” Raman said, clenching his fists. Severus grimaced.

“Ugh. I think this is what is going to be discussed at the next meeting. How did you answer him?”

“I simply told him to shove his proposition up his arse and to get lost.”

Severus sighed tiredly and ran a hand through his hair.

“Look, I would’ve loved to have a chance to say those words to Lucius, but Raman, you could’ve thought just a little bit more about the response.”

“Sev, I know. But if I had given a half-hearted response, then he would’ve taken it as a ‘maybe’! However hard I would’ve tried, I couldn’t have tamed my response in any way! He had to be made clear about our answer!”

Severus sighed and nodded, knowing that Raman was right in his point of view as well.

“So now, there is a greater threat on both these two, the girls and you and that kid, Harsh,” Severus summarized, shaking his head at the situation they had found themselves into. Raman sighed and nodded, running a hand through his hair.

Albus looked at Severus as he took another new name on the list.

“Yes. Now that we’ve made our position clear to Voldemort, they’ll not hesitate to attack us. I can take care of these two and myself in India. But I am wary of those times when the kids would go for their classes. I fear they may get intercepted or even get caught in the middle of an incursion. And right now, Harsh doesn’t need anything like that. He’s just got out from his trauma,” Raman said, clenching his jaws.

“Trauma?” Albus interjected suddenly. Raman looked at him after sharing a look with Severus.

“I’ve actually assumed guardianship of my cousin’s son, Harsh. He was caught in the middle of an attack by a group of radicals along with his parents. Sadly, they didn’t survive. He was quite shaken up after that incident.”

Albus nodded in understanding.

“My condolences,” He murmured, inclining his head towards him. He nodded back.

“Back to the matter at hand, what exactly do you suggest we do? Get them here in Hogwarts? Because, believe me, they’ll be watched by students here! Half of the population of this school and nearly all the kids in my house have parents who work under HIM!” Severus said, instantly understanding what Raman’s plan was.

“Yes, I know. But they’re just teenagers, alright? The girls would be able to handle them all, because, let’s face it, those two are far above all of them! They’re far too smart for these little brats! You know that!”

“Yes, but this isn’t some sort of foreign exchange program, Raman! In a year’s time, this part of the Wizarding world would go to war against HIM and HIS followers! I don’t want them to be caught in the middle of it! And, once the war starts, it’s both inside and outside the school! There would be kids who would try and ‘recruit’ for HIM! And if they somehow succeed with that this time as well, then they’ll be putting spies in every corner of the school! And those two would be under greater scrutiny!”

“They’re smart enough to keep themselves away from all this! And trust me; even I don’t want to send Harsh out here alone! But, I am ready to do anything for their collective safety.”

Severus looked at Sarakshi with a slightly questioning and look which was bordering on desperation.

“Sarakshi, do you agree with this?”

Sarakshi sighed and willed herself to look into her son-in-law’s eyes. She nodded reluctantly.

“Yes. I agree with it,” She said, but everyone could see that it was difficult for her to say that. Severus looked at her with a disbelieving expression. Sarakshi shook her head at him.

“No, don’t look at me like that, young man! I don’t like this plan at all. Frankly, I’d rather lock them into their rooms till this whole sham is over and you come back to India, to us,” Sarakshi said, looking away from all of them with a sad and a tad bit frustrated expression.

The room was quiet for a few moments as they were lost in their own thoughts.

She sighed and composed herself and turned back to them all to give them a small smile.

“But I just can’t do that, can I? Knowing who their mother is, they’ll break out of the room in no time!”

The three men shook their head and smiled, while Albus raised his eyebrows at that statement.

_Well, from what I’ve heard of Severus’ late wife, she sounds like a headstrong person… she must have been one extraordinary person in his life… he must have loved her a lot..._

 He snapped out of his daze and looked back at Severus, who looked torn with the two options in front of him. Albus somehow empathized with him.

“Sometimes you have to go with the bad choices, Severus. It’s just a matter of which choice is worse,” Albus said, trying to sound as helpful as possible.

Raman nodded and slapped a hand on Severus’ shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly.

“This was just a suggestion, brother. They’re your daughters. Ultimately, it’s your decision. I understand that you know best about what’s going on here, but I believe that they’ll be safe enough here.”

Severus looked at Raman almost resignedly.

“This is literally the epicenter of the war, Raman,” He breathed out, becoming a bit desperate.

“And you are a master spy in the enemy’s barracks. You know better than anyone about the intricacies of the group of Death Eaters and Voldemort. So, I know you’ll be able to keep them safe.”

Severus sighed resignedly.

“Alright, fine. But if I sense even a little bit of danger here, I’ll be sending them back to India that very instant.”

Raman nodded, knowing that it was the best deal he could get from him.

“You can send the girls back any time you think it’s getting dangerous,” He said, nodding as he looked ahead. Severus frowned and shook his head.

“No, I meant the girls _and_ Harsh, Raman. No sense for him to stay here in danger as well.”

Raman blinked and turned his head to look at Severus, who smirked at him. Raman smirked back and patted his shoulders in a brotherly gesture, while Severus nodded at him. He then turned to Albus, who was watching their interaction with a smile on his face.

“Headmaster, I’d like to begin with the paperwork for their admittance in Hogwarts right now, if that is alright with you,” Severus said, almost resignedly. Albus sighed and shook his head at him.

“Oh Severus, don’t be like that, my boy! You should be glad to have them here! That way you’ll be able to see them more! Everything will be alright!”

_And I’d finally have them here! Ah, it does feel nice to have your mission accomplished…_

“And I’d like to commence that too, Headmaster. And I’d also love to know whether Harsh would be able to apply for an apprenticeship program,” Raman asked. Albus turned his attention to the dashing man in front of him.

“Oh, of course! Please take these forms,” Albus said, conjuring a small stack of forms in front of them, with a quill and pot of ink each, “And you may use that table over there. And Mr. Acharya, these are the additional forms for the apprenticeship courses, though you have to accompany him here again to talk to the particular Professor who teaches that subject.”

“Oh, he wants to pursue Healing.”

Albus blinked at him.

“Ah, well, then you’d have to speak to Madame Pomfrey; she is the Mediwitch here. She is willing to guide the students through their apprenticeship.”

____----____----____

Anusha and Anya entered the dining room of the Grimmauld place. It was their last morning here; they would be back home later that afternoon.

 _Well, it would be back to just the two of us, waking up, going for our lessons, going back home, completing our homework assignments, studying and entertaining ourselves, sleeping and the same cycle again and again… But after the few weeks, we had here, it’s going to be quite hard to go back to that life…_ Anusha mused as she sat down between Anya and Harry and started eating her cereal. Anusha smirked a little.

_If we were frank with Papa, we don’t want to leave at all… But he wouldn’t let us stay here at all… he would insist us to go back and would say that we’d be safe there…_

The others were quite somber that morning as well. The teens were quite subdued that morning, eating quietly instead of causing a ruckus as usual. They had given a birthday present to Harry beforehand, for his birthday was tomorrow. They had their fifteenth birthday on the day after tomorrow, but they just didn’t feel like celebrating it much. They knew that their father won’t be able to attend and celebrating without him always made them feel a little low.

They had told about their birthday to the teens and they had insisted that they wouldn’t need anything from them at such a short notice, but Molly was still preparing a cake for them, that they’d have before leaving. Anusha shook her head at that.

_Ah well, at least Papa would be there when we cut the cake… I just hope that he would be safe here…_

Harry looked beside at Anusha, who was looking at her now soggy cereal with a sullen expression. He nudged her silently.

She turned her head to look at him. Once again, the bright green eyes made her stare for a few moments before she blinked.

“What is it, Harry?” She asked, looking curious. Harry shrugged and stayed silent for a moment. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Harry-”

“We can exchange letters right?” He asked suddenly. Anusha raised her eyebrows as the whole table went silent to watch the exchange between the two of them.

“Pardon?” Anya exclaimed from beside her. Harry shrugged again, suddenly feeling embarrassed at having all eyes on him.

“I mean, it’s not as if we’d be forgetting about each other the moment you both get back to India, right?”

The girls both looked at Harry with a bit of disbelief.

“Harry, you do realize that there is a huge distance between India and Britain, don’t you?” Anusha asked him, looking at him skeptically.

“Could your owl travel that far?” Anya continued, giving him that same expression.

“And even if she could, that route isn’t safe to travel,” Anusha finished, looking at him apologetically.

“That’s right. Only the most experienced owls are ever sent that far. It would be dangerous for Hedwig to travel that kind of distance,” Sirius said from a few chairs down.

Harry sighed tiredly and spoke, “Okay, then we’ll visit you both. Or you can visit us! I mean, we have days where we can go out of the castle!”

“And you can come by for Christmas!” Ginny spoke up.

“And during our birthdays too!” The twins added.

“See? You can visit us anytime!” Harry said, gesturing to them all.

“That’s right, dears! I’m sure your grandparents would allow you both to visit the burrow! You’ll love it there!” Molly said as she entered the dining area, wiping her hands with a rag cloth and smiling at them. The twins smiled at them, feeling a little brighter than before. They inclined their heads towards her.

“Thank you. We will make sure to visit you all!” Anya said, as she and Anusha nodded at Molly, who chuckled and patted their backs.

Just then, Ron’s owl, Pigwidgeon, flew into the room in a storm, nearly toppling over the pitcher of orange juice before plopping in front of Ginny, who stroked his head and gave him a piece of bacon from her plate.

“Thank you, Pigwidgeon!” Ginny cooed and took out the letters attached to it.

“Oh, these are the Hogwarts Letters!” She exclaimed, untying them and passing the letter to their respective owner.

“Fred, George, Ron, Hermione- you both have heavier letters than ours- Harry and mine.”

All of them except the girls took their letters and opened them.

“I’ve been made prefect!” Ron and Hermione exclaimed at the same time. They looked at each other.

“Oh, another prefect in our family! I’m so proud of you Ronnie!” Molly exclaimed, going up and hugging Ron tightly, kissing his forehead, ignoring how he tried getting out of her grasp.

“Mum!” Ron groaned, pouting at her.

“All my children prefects!” Molly continued gushing. The Weasley twins looked at their mother with mock disbelief.

 **“What are Fred and I, next door neighbors?”*** George said, feigning hurt.

“I expected Hermione being made prefect, but not ickle ronnikinns!” Fred said, smirking teasingly.

“Oh, I can see the title now- ickle ronnikinns, the perfect prefect!” George added, nudging Ron, who shoved him.

“Bugger off, George!”

“Congratulations Ronald and Hermione at being made prefects,” Remus said, smiling at them. Hermione smiled back shyly and nodded her thanks.

“Well, do let them break rules, you two! Rules are meant to be broken after all!” Sirius said, smirking at them. Hermione frowned at his admission, but shook her head and smirked when he winked at her playfully.

Ginny, meanwhile, frowned at the revelation and looked at Harry, who was smirking at his best friends’ antics.

“I thought that Harry…” Ginny trailed off, looking at Harry guiltily. The whole table grew silent as everyone looked at Harry, wary of his reaction.

Instead, Harry just shook his head and smiled at her.

“No. It isn’t for me. I couldn’t have handled it at all. It’d be best that I concentrate on my O.W.L.S,” Harry said, smiling at them all.

“I’m sorry for bringing it up Harry,” Ginny said, looking at him sadly. Harry just smiled at her and shook his head.

“It’s alright Ginny. I don’t mind not being made prefect. I could concentrate more on Quidditch and O.W.L.S this way.”

Ginny still looked a little forlorn, so Hermione decided to change the subject and brought up the discussion about the contents of their letters. That spurred on the whole table of teens. The boys groaned collectively, and the two girls started on about their curriculum. The girls looked on with amusement as Hermione went on to advise Ginny about how to handle her fourth-year studies with care and it looked as though Ginny was taking it as though she were drinking water.

The twins did feel a little left out as they heard them all either discuss their books or gripe about how they had to go through another tough year, but they shrugged it off.

 _“I’m going to miss it this little,”_ Anya said through their mental connection.

 _“Yeah, but we got to move forward, Anya,”_ Anusha said comfortingly.

They all completed their breakfast quickly and went upstairs. The teens went to Harry and Ron’s room to play some games, while the twins went to their rooms to check if they had kept all their belongings or not. It was just an excuse to be alone for just a little while too.

As they were checking their trunks, Anya suddenly had a thought in mind.

“Anusha?”

Anusha looked up at her twin to see her staring at her inquiringly.

“Yes?”

“Would Ma have made our stay here?” Anya asked curiously and a tad bit wistfully. Anusha breathed out slowly, thinking about the answer.

“Well… Technically, yes. I mean, she would’ve taken any chance herself to settle here with Papa.”

Anya nodded, smiling at her answer.

“And no too.”

Anya shot her a grumpy look. She chuckled.

“I mean, come on, she wasn’t as protective as Papa is, but she was protective of us. Who knows? Maybe she would’ve dragged us back to India after a week or two of staying here.”

Just then, a knock sounded on the door. They shared a puzzled look with each other and turned to look at the doors quizzically.

“Yes?” Anusha called out.

“Oh, Dears! It’s me!” Mrs. Weasley’s voice sounded from outside. She sounded almost… ecstatic, but was trying to hide it.

“Yes, Mrs. Weasley?” Anya asked.

“Your father is calling you downstairs in the living room!” She said.

The girls shared another look.

“We’re coming, ma’am!” Anusha said as she and Anya closed their trunks.

“Alright!” Molly called out and they heard her receding footsteps.

Both the girls walked down the stairs slowly, trying to figure out what their father wanted to tell them. Maybe he just wanted to give them some last minute instructions and their birthday wishes. They went down together and entered the room together to find their father sitting in one of the armchairs.

He looked up to see them and smirked in greeting, which they returned weakly. He sighed and stood up and came to them and kissed their foreheads.

“Now, both of you need to sit down for this,” He said, gesturing them to the couch

The twins looked up at him, frowning confusedly.

“But why?” Anusha asked, looking at him quizzically. Their father sighed.

“Just sit down,” He ordered, pointing them to the couch. They sighed and sat together on the couch as he resumed his seat from across them.

“Alright, before we delve into the instructions for your journey today, I’d like to give you both my wishes for your fifteenth birthday,” He began, almost smiling at them. They smiled back at him.

“I can hardly believe that you are both turning fifteen. I couldn’t be prouder of you both than I am right now. You both have come a long way from the mischievous little toerags you both were during your childhood. Not that you aren’t now,” He said, smirking at them as they gasped indignantly, “But your mischievous nature has certainly mellowed down, if just a little bit.”

“Gee, thanks for your compliment, Papa,” Anusha grumbled.

“We certainly appreciate it,” Anya added, nodding and looking at him grumpily.

Their father chuckled and shook his head at them.

“Your mother would’ve been just as proud as I am right now,” Severus said, smiling wistfully. The twins smiled back at him. He then gulped to clear the slight lump in his throat.

“Anyways, I may or may not be present for the celebrations. I apologize for that, but I have too much work here and I just can’t afford to leave suddenly, even for a few hours. So, I’m giving you both my present beforehand.”

The girls’ expression turned curious as he simply took out two letters from his pocket and gave it to them, without saying a word. His expression was unreadable as well. Frowning, the girls took the letters from him and read their names and addresses on them. It was written in green ink and the handwriting seemed terribly familiar. The twins looked at each other confusedly.

 _“Do you know what this is about?”_ Anya asked.

_“Nah! I don’t have any idea of what’s going on!”_

Frowning, Anya looked back at the letter and turned it and gasped.  Her eyebrows touched her hairline as she saw the Hogwarts crest. Beside her, Anusha’s reaction was the same as well. They turned to look at each other with shock and hope, before turning to look at their father, who was smirking at their reaction.

Anusha held up the letter and started, “Papa, what the hell is-”

“Language, Anusha!” He said admonishingly.

“Sorry Papa, but what on Earth is this?!”

Your Hogwarts acceptance letter, obviously.”

The girls looked on at him disbelievingly as their father continued.

“Remember that I’m going to be stricter with you both as your professor. And you better prepare yourselves properly for your O.W.L.S. I don’t want you both to be anywhere else than the top. And I want you both to have a relatively spotless record. No detentions from anyone, is that clear?”

The twins looked at each other and stood up. They stared down at him with faces that held a mixture of anger and heightened disbelief. They collectively suppressed the hope and ecstasy that had bloomed in their minds.

“Are you playing some kind of joke here or are you being serious?” Anusha asked very quietly, knowing that raising her voice would get them nowhere. She controlled her breathing somehow. Their father looked at them confusedly and stood up.

“Does this look like it? And moreover, do I look like the kind of man who would joke about this?”

The girls looked at him, shocked into silence.

“Seriously, you’re actually letting us stay here with you?” Anya asked, a smile blooming on her face. Severus rolled his eyes at that.

“As you can see your names on the letters with the Hogwarts crest, I am,” he said, smirking at them, before shrugging and standing up and going towards the doors, saying, “Unless you really want to go back to India, which is fine by me. I could speak to the Headmaster-”

He didn’t finish his sentence, as he was thrown off his feet and banged against the door. He winced at the pain that shot up in his neck and looked down to find himself pressed between the door and the girls, who were embracing him tightly and chanting ‘Thankyouthankyouthankyou’ constantly in his ears.

He groaned and rubbed his sore neck and said, “For Merlin’s sake, could any of you warn me next time before doing that?! You both nearly broke my neck with that force!”

But the girls ignored his remark, instead tightening their embrace. He sighed and stroked their heads gently, lightly pressing his face against their heads, thinking about all of the safety measures he’d have to take up for them.

_I have to keep them safe here… I’d lose my spy status rather than lose these two… if something happens to either of my little girls, then I don’t know what I’d do…_

He looked at the top of their heads and nodded to himself.

_I would keep them safe no matter what…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, was it good, bad, or eh? Which part did you like? The interaction between Anusha and Harry? The conversation between Raman and Lucius? The argument in Dumbledore's office? The letters that Severus gave to the girls? Please tell me about the chapter in the comments section!
> 
> See ya guys!
> 
> *- this sentence was taken directly from Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix.


	8. Birthdays, Visits to Diagon Alley and... the whole package of trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this has been a while... okay, it's been a looooong while... I'm sorry, I just needed the break... I was haggard after giving my exams, and some more exams and then, a very short trip, and then I was writing something that took longer than i imagined... but its all done now! Hope you enjoy this, and I promise to make up for it... The ninth chapter has begun and I promise to post it as soon as possible...

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

**Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however, are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.**

_CHAPTER VIII_

Harry’s fifteenth birthday was a little quiet this time, what with all the court hearings and everything that was being said against Dumbledore and Harry and all their known supporters. Instead of throwing in a grand party, as Molly had suggested, they instead had a nice dinner with everyone present to offer him their well-wishes, give him his gifts and just spend some time with him. Molly couldn’t help but bake a nice cake for him, even though he had insisted not to. When she brought in the cake, Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Molly cut him off.

“Now Harry dear, it may not be like it was in the past, these are a bit hard times for you, but you still have to remember that it is your fifteenth birthday. It’s not going to come back again. So while I listened to you and planned a nice dinner, you are still cutting the cake. End of discussion,” She said, with a tone of finality and went back to the kitchen. Harry shook his head and smiled at her as she went back to the kitchen.

Other than the dinner, the day had passed as it normally did for the teens. The twins had started covering up with what was taught in the past four years from Hermione, while Ginny gave her inputs as well.

“But why are you guys bothering with it, huh? I mean, you have already done it, maybe way before than us!” Ron asked, frowning at them.

“Yes, but we need to know if there are things that we may have accidentally missed, or we did earlier than you guys so, we’re discussing this just so that we’re in the same page, that’s all,” Anusha said, shrugging apologetically.

“And besides, it’s a wonderful revision for us, as it’s our O.W.L.S this time,” Hermione said, jotting down some notes about the syllabus.

“It is sort of like the same, but we were taught some things before you all since it was home-school and the tutors had indulged themselves,” Anya said.

____----____----____

Anya woke up to their fifteenth birthday with a bright smile on her face. She nudged her twin, who sniffed a little before turning her back on her. Anya raised an eyebrow at her.

“Anusha, come on. It’s our birthday. Wake up!”

“Don’ wanna,” Anusha mumbled, her voice muffled by the pillows.

“Wake up yaar! We need to go to the Diagon Alley as well!” Anya groaned, shaking her sister from her slumber. But it was in vain. She simply burrowed herself in her blanket, pulling it to the top of her head.

Anya huffed and pulled the blanket from her head.

“Anya! Let me sleep!”

“Nah, sis!” Anya said, smirking mischievously and started poking her twin in her ribs. Anusha squirmed, squealing and laughing loudly.

“ANYA! Stop it!” Anusha exclaimed, throwing a pillow at her, which began a pillow fight between them as both girls screamed and squealed, throwing pillows at each other. At one point, they even tore a pillow open while wrestling for it, which made all the cotton from the pillow float around the room. But they ignored the state of the room, instead throwing pillows at each other, and didn’t even notice Severus standing in the doorway, observing their antics with a small smirk on his face before clearing his throat loudly to catch their attention. They stopped immediately, looking at him, horror dawning on their faces.

“Oh shit,” Anusha muttered.

“Language, Ms. Snape!” Severus said sternly, giving her an admonishing look. Anusha looked down sheepishly.

“Sorry Papa,” Anusha murmured. Severus sighed and came inside the room, shutting the door behind him softly. He came and stood in front of them, looking around the room blandly. The twins looked around the room as well, their expression turning sheepish as they looked at the state of the room. Pillows were strewn around the room, along with pillow feathers lying around them, the bedding was covered with feathers and some were flying around like snow. They turned back to look at their father giving them the eyebrow. They shrugged collectively, smiling at them guiltily. He sighed and smirked, shaking his head at them.

“Since it is your birthday, I’ll let you both off the hook. But, as soon as you get back from the Diagon Alley, you’re cleaning the room.”

“Actually, we don’t have to,” Anusha said, smirking at him. Severus raised his eyebrows at her.

“I beg your pardon?” He uttered.

“This room belongs to one of Sirius’ ancestors,” Anya began, an identical smirk gracing her features.

“Obviously,” Severus muttered.

“She loved this room too much, so when she got married, she didn’t want the room to be changed by anyone,” Anusha continued.

“So, she charmed the room to be self-automated,” Anya interjected.

“That’s why we don’t have to clean the room,” Anusha finished, shrugging at him.

“Fine. I’ll be assigning punishments to you both.”

“Papa!” The girls groaned, pouting at him sulkily in a way that reminded Severus of Amisha when she used to look at him that way. He felt that familiar pang in his heart at the thought of her.

_They may as well be her clones… You’d be proud of them, Amisha…_

He blinked back and smirked at their expressions, before gesturing them close to him. They complied with smiles on their faces and stood close and wrapped their arms around him tightly, burying their faces in his chest, feeling safe and content.

“Happy birthday to you both,” Their father murmured, pressing a kiss on both their foreheads softly.

“Thank you, Papa,” They murmured back, tightening their arms around him. He took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around their shoulders, suddenly wanting nothing more than keeping them there for the rest of eternity. But he simply pulled back slightly after a few moments.

“Come on down now, freshen up. You need to have breakfast and go to Diagon Alley for your supplies,” He murmured, pressing another kiss to their foreheads and pulling back.

____----____----____

As soon as the twins had entered the dining room along with their father, they were greeted with cheers and shouts of ‘Happy Birthday!’.

“Happy birthday, sweeties!” Molly said, coming into the dining room. She smiled down at them, patting their shoulders gently.

“Oh sweeties, I really don’t know what your favorite is! Well, is there something different you want today? Other than your usual?” She asked gently. The girls chuckled and shook their heads.

“Oh no! We don’t want to trouble you!” Anusha said.

“We’ll take our usual, Mrs. Weasley!” Anya continued.

“Are you sure?”

The girls nodded and said, “Thank you!” Collectively.

“And are you two coming to the Diagon Alley with us?” Hermione asked, looking excited. The girls turned their heads to their father, who nodded with a reluctant sigh.

“Yeah!”

“Of course!”

“So, Harry and Ron are coming as well,” Hermione continued. The twins nodded, not seeing their father hide a grimace.

“Anyone else wants to accompany us?” Molly asked, looking around the table.

The others shook their heads in negative. 

“Alright now, kiddies,” Moody snapped suddenly, looking at them, much to Molly’s exasperation, “We aren’t going ta be there to keep a watch out for ya lot! So keep yer wands on hol’, stay alert and CONSTANT VIGILANCE!”

“Alastor,” Molly began exasperatedly, much to the amusement of the others, “We’re going to the Diagon Alley, not a war zone!”

“Anywhere can be a war zone! These little tots need ta’ be prepared for all that!”

“Alastor!” Molly snapped at him, before turning to the trio and twins, “All of you, finish breakfast and meet me here in an hour alright?”

“Okay!” They said collectively.

“Severus, sit down! I have a plate ready for you,” Molly said, gesturing to the seat between Anya and Sirius. Severus hesitated, looking at Sirius with slight distaste, which was returned back to him full force. Anya cleared her throat, which made both men snap out of their trance.

“Molly-” He began but stopped as Molly gave him a stern look.

“Sit. down,” She said, pointing to the chair.

Severus sighed and sat down, not wanting to tempt fate and defy the Weasley Matriarch. The expression on his face made the girls snicker loudly. Even the look he sent them wasn’t enough to quiet them down.

The others quickly finished their breakfast and went off to work.

“So,” Harry said, as he pushed his plate away from him, “We’ll see you guys in an hour, alright?”

“Okay,” The girls said, standing up as well. Harry nodded to them and went out of the room with Ron and Hermione, who were busy bickering about their Prefect duties.

“Thank you, Molly,” Severus said, nodding to the Weasley matriarch as he walked out of the hall.

“Do you both have enough money for today?” Severus asked as they climbed up the stairs.

The twins looked at each other contemplatively, having a silent conversation with each other, before shaking their heads.

“I mean, we can buy supplies from the money we have, but it’s better to be safe,” Anusha added apologetically. Severus considered it, before nodding in answer as they turned around the corner to their room.

“You have a point there,” Severus conceded, stepping inside the room after the girls entered it and closed it behind him.

“Okay. There are a few things I should tell you both,” Severus said, pulling the table chair and sitting across the bed, gesturing them to sit as well. They looked at each other for a moment, before going to sit down and crossing their arms.

“What is it, Papa?” Anya asked, curiosity shining in her eyes.

“Raman is going to be in the Diagon Alley today as well, with his ward, Harsh,” He said, looking at them both as their eyes widened in realization.

“His cousin’s son?” Anusha clarified. Their father nodded solemnly.

“Yes. He is a year older than you two,” Severus remarked thoughtfully. The girls blinked at him in surprise.

“You’ve met him?” Anya asked.

“Yes, I have. He had to stop by to Hogwarts to fill some forms for his apprenticeship and discuss his apprenticeship details with Madame Pomfrey. She was very impressed by him,” He said, remembering the conversation he had with Poppy earlier that day, before smirking suddenly. The girls raised an eyebrow at him.

“What are you so amused about, Papa?”

“Your _Mama_ met Umbridge as well.”

The girls raised their eyebrows in slight amusement.

“And how was _that_ like?” Anya asked curiously. Severus chuckled.

“Well, he was quite traumatized. She took… quite a liking to him, what with his looks and working directly under your Grandparents,” He answered.

“Well, I wonder what her reaction would be when she finds out that the Potions Master of Hogwarts is the heir of Prince family which _is_ a part of a Royale 15,” Anusha said, looking at him, gauging his reaction. He looked up, his smirk fading off.

“I do hope you know you have to keep that under the wraps. I am a spy for the Order and that title would go to you when it is your time,” Severus said with a tone of finality.

“And, as for a title, all I am is a spy and a Professor at an educational institute, doing a job that I hate. I am not as important as your _Mama_ or either of your Grandfathers,” He said. The girls sighed exasperatedly.

“Papa, you are a Prince Heir and the Prince family comes under the Royale 15. You easily outclass every Pureblood family in Magical Britain!” Anya exclaimed, standing up suddenly. Severus looked up at her with surprise.

“I have not taken up that mantle, Anya. I am, for all intents and purposes, Severus Tobias Snape, Potions master of Hogwarts. And, till this war ends, I’d want it that way. Do you both understand?” He asked sternly. The girls looked at him stubbornly, before giving up and nodding at him reluctantly.

“And while we’re on that subject, I’ll lay some rules for you both. I do not have any idea which House you both would go in. It doesn’t matter to me where you go anyway. Perhaps you both would be in the same house, or different houses. But I know that at least one of you would go to Slytherin or Gryffindor. I know you have an idea of what I am about to say, but I just want to make it clear for my satisfaction. No one can know of what your full names are. At Hogwarts, I am your Professor and you are my students. Apart from that, there would be no further interaction in front of the general student population.

“Second thing, if either one of you gets into Slytherin, then remember, you are the Royalty among the pureblood families of Wizarding Britain. The purebloods would surely be told to suck up to you by their parents. You know what you need to do, don’t you?”

The girls nodded.

“Be polite, but keep them at arms’ length and make your friends wisely,” Both of them recited the rule exactly as their father had told them. Their Papa nodded in approval.

“And whatever house you get into, expect and prepare for Draco Malfoy to interact with you.”

At seeing the girls’ confused expressions, Severus sighed and said, “I know he is my Godson, but he is a brat sometimes.”

The girls nodded, looking thoughtful all of a sudden.

“Is he?” Anusha voiced out, suddenly having a strange glint in her eyes. Anya had the same look in her eyes.

“Anyway,” Severus said slowly, looking at the two of them with suspicion, before continuing, “He would either try to bully you into submission or would try to act as a ‘guide’ for you, telling you what is and isn’t right, according to him. Lucius must have definitely told him to befriend you two. In fact, the Malfoys are going to buy the supplies for Draco today. So, keep an eye out, don’t interact until you are forced to and do not seek him,” He finished, looking at them with the hardest of expressions. The girls nodded at him.

“Third thing, if there is a time when you absolutely have to reveal… certain things to anyone around you, make sure that it is someone you trust. Excluding these teenagers and Harsh, it is highly important that you know who to trust and whom not to. If it isn’t a right party who gets hold of the information accidently, then you can obliviate him/her. Understood?”

The twins nodded to him, their expressions completely serious. They knew what the consequences of trusting a wrong person were. They lost their mother because of that very mistake she had made five years ago.

Severus’ face softened as he stared at them, cupping their faces gently.

“You know, you didn’t use your full title,” Anusha mused quietly. Severus’ eyes narrowed in confusion.

“Sorry?” He prompted.

“You aren’t _just_ the Potions master of Hogwarts,” Anya continued.

Severus turned his head to look at her.

“You are the _Youngest_ Potions Master of Hogwarts,” Anusha said, smiling softly. Severus sighed, shaking his head at them.

_Not this conversation again…_

“No-”

“In its history!” Anya interjected.

“That’s not much of a title!” He began, but Anusha stopped him.

“That _is_ a huge title, Papa!” She exclaimed exasperatedly. He began shaking his head again.

“At the time when your peers went dancing bars and seriously began thinking about their futures, you were working on your Mastery in Potions _and_ Ancient Runes!” Anya continued.

“Double Mastery is no joke!” Anusha added. Severus opened his mouth to speak, but his efforts were thwarted yet again as Anya spoke up.

“And you did it in two of those subjects which are supposed to be the hardest!” Anya said, ticking this off her fingers.

Severus knew he had lost to them yet again. So he simply huffed and sat more comfortably, crossing his arms as he listened to his children rant about the same thing they had said since they were ten.

“And you were literally the first one to have a legit degree in your generation!” Anusha said, ticking it off from her fingers, much to his amusement.

“Face it, Papa, you took up responsibility when countless others would rather shirk it!” Anya finished. He sighed at them, shaking his head as he stared at them.

“Thank Merlin you both stopped! You both usually go on about this for hours,” He said teasingly, smirking at them. The girls’ eyes widened a little before they looked down, suddenly feeling sheepish. Severus chuckled and stood up. Instantly, the girls made up space for him to sit between them and rested their heads on his shoulder.

“We’ve had this conversation a lot of times,” He began gently. Anusha opened her mouth to say something, but her father stopped her by saying, “For Merlin’s sake, just let me speak for a minute, child!”

Anusha looked down again, her cheeks slightly pink.

“Sorry,” She mumbled.

He smirked and kissed her and Anya on the head before he began.

“I had my motivations. I was never used to riches. I had always been slightly uncomfortable at Prince Manor. And Maurya Mansion just strengthened that. That is exactly why I had asked your mother if she were willing to live in a smaller home than the Manor or the Mansion. That is why I had purchased a house in Munnar. When your mother and I had visited there, I had loved the seclusion, the quiet surroundings and the freshness of the place. Although we loved staying with your Grandparents, that house was ours alone. And I had bought that house with my money, the money that I had earned by creating or renewing Potions and patenting them. I was doing my own research as well. And I was able to do that because of my education, because I wanted to be someone more than the Prince Heir.”

He then looked down at them with hard eyes.

“I don’t care that you both have an infinite inheritance waiting for you both to mature. You work hard to prove that you are worth that amount of inheritance, that you have an identity other than the Maurya heiresses, understand?” He asked, looking at them sternly.

“Yes sir,” The girls said collectively, nodding at him.

“Good,” He said, nodding at them with approval.

“And this lecture session is adjourned for today,” Anya said, smirking mischievously, causing Anusha to chuckle. Severus snorted amusedly, shaking his head at them, before he poked his fingers at their sides, tickling them. They squirmed and pulled away from him gently, laughing loud.

“Now, back to the topic. Your _Mama_ worries that Harsh is too quiet after his parents died. He did work with the boy, so he is much better than before. All he wants is you both befriending him.”

“Okay. He seems kind of desperate,” Anya commented, looking up at her Papa.

“Oh, yes he is. The kid keeps himself secluded at all times, instead studying and pursuing healing. He is quite dedicated,” Severus commented. The twins shared a look with each other.

 _“Wow, Papa’s quite impressed by him,”_ Anusha commented.

 _“Yeah. I guess we will see what this guy’s all about,”_ Anya said, breathing out slowly.

____----____----____

“Are we all ready?” Molly asked the group of teens standing before her.

“Yes Mrs. Weasley,” The girls answered collectively.

“Now, you all must remember to stick to one another, not interact with strangers-”

“And be alert, keep your hand on your wands at all times, and _CONSTANT VIGILANCE!”_ Moody snapped at them. Molly rolled her eyes at him exasperatedly but otherwise ignored him.

“So, you kids ready?” Molly asked excitedly, looking at the five teens before her. Ron rolled his eyes at her.

“Yes, mum! Would you stop asking about it?” Ron grumbled loudly.

“Watch your mouth young man or it’s no new robes for you!” Molly warned him, glaring at him fiercely.

“It not like I get new robes the entire time mum,” He retorted.

“And you’re not getting any supper tonight as well!”

That shut him up pretty quickly, much to the others’ amusement. The twins snickered, making Ron look at them with a grumpy expression.

“Shut it!” He muttered, walking ahead of them towards the door to the living room quickly.

“Aww, sorry Ron!” Anya said, laughing to herself.

“Don’t be like that!” Harry continued.

“We’ll give you a share from our plates!” Anusha teased, making the others chuckle.

The girls snickered to themselves but quieted down when they heard their father clear his throat. They turned around to see him giving them a warning look, which was enough to make them serious again.

“Now,” their Papa began quietly, “Remember what I told you both. Be careful, be alert, keep a hand on your wands at all times. Your _Mama_ would meet you both near the Gringotts. Please act appropriately as the Malfoys would be there in the Diagon Alley and I am perfectly sure that they would cross paths with you all. You know what to do when you are confronted by either Draco or Lucius. Be polite, but firm and stand your ground no matter what. I wouldn’t worry about Narcissa; she’s a smart woman, actually smarter than either of her men. So, she won’t be of any problem to you both.”

The girls nodded, looking completely serious and determined.

“Although, if I get the time, I’ll be there to see if everything is alright or not,” Severus added as an afterthought.

The twins looked at him exasperatedly.

“We are fifteen Papa, not five,” Anusha grumbled.

“We know how to take care of ourselves,” Anya said, exasperated. Their father gave them a stern look.

“While you both may have turned fifteen today young ladies, you both still have a tendency to act like little stubborn brats and run off into dangerous situations!” Severus retorted. The twins’ faces flushed as they looked down sheepishly.

“It’s not our fault, you know,” Anusha mumbled.

“We’re just at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Anya continued in a small voice.

Severus sighed.

“I know you both are as careful as possible, but I just want to make sure you both are alright,” Severus finished, looking at them. The girls seemed to contemplate his side of the argument, which made him roll his eyes at them.

“Okay,” The girls conceded, shrugging.

“If that’s what you want,” Anya said.

“Just remember to buy all things that you both require.”

“Yes sir,” The girls answered and gave him a one-armed hug, before going with Mrs. Weasley and the others.

They went towards the fireplace, where Molly simply took the floo powder and threw it in the fireplace and called out ‘Diagon Alley!’. Everyone stepped in one by one. They stepped out in the Leaky Cauldron. Since it was for the first time for the twins, they looked around with a tiny bit of distaste. Harry saw their look and chuckled.

“I know, it’s a bit shady but you’ll get used to it in a bit,” He said.

The twins nodded slowly, their expressions of distaste still on. The pub was dark, dull and filled with all sorts of shady people. The bartender and, admittedly, the owner of the pub, was the only man who looked clean enough. Otherwise, the rest of the crowd was not so impressive. But the girls were still looking at the crowd of people suspiciously. They all were staring at Harry and the others with mixed expressions. Some looked at them curiously, some gave him an angry look, some gave him side-eyed glances as they spoke to their partners, and some just ignored them. But one of them, in particular, a woman with short blonde hair resting on her neck in tight curls was eyeing them as though they were meat. Anusha noticed the small notebook and the quill peeking out of her purse and clicked her tongue.

_Oh fuck. A journalist. Exactly what I needed for my birthday morning…_

She silently nudged Anya, who looked at the woman with distaste, but nearly sneered at her when she noticed the same as Anusha did.

“Fuck my life,” Anya muttered under her breath.

“Yeah, tell me about it. This is so not our ideal birthday, is it?” Anusha murmured to her.

“Nah. I do not like the situation,” Anya murmured back and looked ahead with the others and her twin as the blond haired woman approached them with confidence and attitude. From nowhere, a camera took a shot of them all. Anusha blinked rapidly to clear her vision, while Anya snapped her eyes shut to prevent the light from entering her eyes.

“What the fuck?!” The girls muttered together. But no one noticed them at all. They were all observing the commotion between Harry and the woman.

“Ah, would you look at that? The boy-who-lived out in public with his cohorts! This is a good day for me! Ah, my dear companions,” The woman said to her notepad and quill, ‘We must get started, for Skeeter is on the hunt for stories!”

The twins gave her a flabbergasted look, before looking at each other.

“Who is she?!” Anya mouthed to her twin.

Anusha shrugged as an answer and looked ahead as she started harassing Harry, who was acting quite calm, considering the circumstances.

“How did it feel like to be presented in the Wizangamot at the age of fifteen?”

Harry remained silent. The woman was taken aback by his silence. It was clear that she thought him to be vocal and passionate. Anusha was slightly proud of him.

“What would your parents have said, if they had heard you making these fake accusations about you-know-who coming back to life?” She asked with a benign smile, but her eyes were filled with malice.

Harry’s expression changed slightly, but he still kept his mouth shut. Skeeter was now growing agitated, clearly not expecting the stoic and blank expression from him. Anusha couldn’t help but send him a small smirk.

_Well, he has changed… he’s doing well to keep his occlumency shields up…_

The woman saw the smirk she sent him and rounded on them both.

“And who are these two pretty young ladies, Mr. Potter? Your new followers?” Skeeter crowed, eliciting a laugh from her audience. The trio and Molly smirked slightly as the twins gave her a sharp look.

“I’m Anusha Maurya,” Anusha introduced herself to the whole room.

“And I’m Anya Maurya,” Anya said rapidly, looking at the Skeeter woman with a distasteful expression.

The people in the room grew silent as both the girls held out their hands for the Skeeter woman to shake. All of them were looking at her with shock and some even had slight horror etched on their faces. But the most priceless expression as of Skeeter’s, as she clearly wasn’t expecting that at all. She raised her hand to shake theirs in a very feeble way.

“Heiresses to the Maurya Family, one of the _Royale 15?_ ” Skeeter clarified in a small voice.

“Yes, unless there’s any other family with surname ‘Maurya’,” Anusha retorted. Harry and the others smirked wider.

“Bloody hell,” Ron said, snickering to himself. This was followed by murmurs and silent whispers from the crowds.

“They aren’t the ones to take this sort of treatment lying down,” Harry said, looking at his best friend.

“And you are?” Anya asked politely.

“Rita Skeeter, a journalist for the Daily Prophet. I also write for the gossip column there,” Skeeter answered promptly.

“Oh?” Anya uttered softly. Anusha gave her an amused look, before turning back to Skeeter. 

“We have read your column, Miss. Skeeter, when we were last in London,” Anusha said.

“Oh yes, about five years ago. We came here with our… late mother at that time,” Anya said, nodding to herself.  

“Your way of twisting a story is quite… impressive, if I may say,” Anusha said in a slightly dry tone. Skeeter caught the tone but didn’t comment on that.

“I wonder if I may get an interview with you two. It would be a huge occasion for the Wizarding world to hear about one of the families of the _Royale 15_. We hardly get one of your families in this area,” Skeeter said, smiling at them toothily, which reminded the twins of a crocodile.

“I apologize, but we are in a hurry,” Anusha began.

“Oh, very well. But just some basic information,” Skeeter said, her quill and notepad floating up with gusto.

“Alright. We’re here to shop for our supplies,” Anya began.

“We’re joining Hogwarts this September,” Anusha announced.

“And if you have any further questions, please contact Raman Acharya, our uncle. He’ll be happy to help you out,” Anya finished.

“Oh no. I know what will happen. Your man wouldn’t answer my calls at all,” Skeeter said, grabbing Anya’s forearm before she could leave. The twins shot her a piercing look which made her back away slightly. They smiled a cold and chilling smile at her. The golden trio shivered slightly at that look. They were privy to _that_ particular look.

“Is it creepy that that smile reminds me of Snape’s?” Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione slowly.

“No Ron,” Hermione answered, “you aren’t wrong at all.”

“Listen now, Miss. Skeeter. Here’s what’s going to happen. You will contact ‘our man’ and send him a list of questions that you may have for us,” Anusha said softly but chillingly. The room grew silent again.

“He will be there to answer them, personally as well, if you wish so,” Anya continued with the same voice.

“But for now, please let us leave. We have a lot to purchase,” Anusha finished. Skeeter gulped slightly, suddenly knowing that if she took a wrong step, the consequences would be drastic for her.

“I see. Well, I shall be glad to have a word with you two when you wish to have it, Heiresses,” Skeeter said, offering an alternative.

“Oh, we’ll see. Good day,” Anusha said, smiling at her benignly. Skeeter nodded shortly before turning and stalking out of the pub with her cameraman. The twins gave the crowd a stern expression, which sent all of them stalking off back to their own tables.

Molly noticed their expressions and quickly led them to the back of the pub and stopped near an old brick wall. The girls looked at the brick wall confusedly, but the others just looked ahead.

“Well now, we have to get on,” she said, gathering them around the wall and tapped on certain bricks around a hollow area in the wall. The bricks started rearranging themselves, looking as though someone was pulling them out from the other side and pushing the others in. Soon enough, the bricks that were pushed in had slowly started sliding away from the center to reveal an opening for them.

“Wow,” Anusha muttered.

“I didn’t know there was this opening to Diagon Alley as well,” Anya said in awe.

“Really?” Harry asked curiously.

“Yeah, the few times we came here were all from floo and we’d enter from one of the uh, more prominent restaurants in this area.”

“Oh.”

“Girls, where did you say your uncle would meet you?” Molly asked them.

“Near Gringotts,” The girls answered, looking in front of them towards the huge white building on the intersection of the two streets. They spotted their _Mama_ with another young boy. They were speaking to each other softly.

“ _Mama,”_ Anya called out to him, walking towards them quickly.

“Anya,” Anusha called out, before following her quickly, much to the exasperation of Molly, who took the trio and all but ran behind them.

Raman turned towards her and smiled.

“Anya, Anusha! How are you both?” Raman asked, embracing Anya warmly, picking her up a little, before setting her down and giving Anusha the same treatment.

“Happy birthday to you two,” He murmured, smiling at them and ruffling their hair.

“Thank you!” They said together.

“I’ll be buying you both an owl as a gift this time. I’m sorry but I just couldn’t prepare for what I wanted to give you both,” Raman murmured to them.

“Was it going to be shocking for Papa?” Anusha asked, with an impish look.

“Oooohhh, definitely,” Raman murmured with amusement.

“Then that’s enough for us. We’ll be glad for an owl. It’ll make it easy to send letters to you all,” Anya said with a smirk.

“Well, I’ll introduce you two to him,” Raman said, gesturing to Harsh. They nodded, smiling a small smile to Harsh, who returned it demurely.

“Harsh, this one,” Raman gestured to Anusha, “Is Anusha Maurya, while the one beside her is Anya Maurya.”

Harsh looked at them both quietly, not saying a word.

“Girls, this is my ward, Harsh Acharya.”

“Hello,” Anusha greeted him, smiling a small smile. Harsh nodded and said ‘Hello’ quietly.

“Hi! Nice to meet you!” Anya exclaimed, holding out her hand for him to shake. He shook her hand after a moment’s hesitation.

“Hello,” He greeted, smiling shyly. Anusha gave Raman a side-eyed glance at the boy’s shy behavior, but he only shrugged.

“He’s always been like that, and he became quieter after his parents died. He’s only opened up a little now, but still…” Raman trailed off, looking a little frustrated.

She opened her mouth to say something but composed herself as the others caught up with them.

“There you are, Anusha! We nearly lost you in the crowd!” Harry said, smirking slightly at her.

“And you remember what your Papa told you two, right?” Ron teased the girls but quelled as they gave him sharp looks.

“Don’t start!” Anusha groaned.

“He exaggerates all the time!” Anya said, exasperated.

“We’re not that bad!”

“I’ll be the judge of that!” Raman said, smirking at them. They shot him a grumpy look but otherwise didn’t comment upon that.

“ _Mama_ , Harsh, this is Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Ron, and Hermione,” Anusha introduced them all to him. He shook hands with all of them. Harsh simply nodded to all of them and shook hands with Harry and Ron. Both of them gave him slightly odd expressions but shook hands with him anyway.

“Good Afternoon, Mrs. Weasley,” Raman greeted, “Thank you for agreeing to assist me with the purchasing,” he said, smiling at her charmingly.

“Oh, it’s alright! It’s my pleasure,” She said, smiling back at him.

“So, shall we?” Raman said, gesturing to the shops.

“Of course! We are extremely sorry to keep you waiting!” Molly said apologetically.

“Oh no! We got here a little early. I had some business to attend to,” Raman said, waving off her apology.

“Then we shall get going! But before that, I shall need to take out some money,” Molly said gesturing them to the large white building ahead of them.

“You don’t mind waiting for a few more minutes, do you?”

“No. It’s quite alright! I can wait!” Raman said kindly.

“Alright then, they have a seating area inside,” Molly said, as she led them all to the entrance, which had huge gold doors. The twins looked around curiously. They had hardly ever entered the British branch of Gringotts before. The reception area was a small, but a beautifully decorated area with comfortable furniture and filled with people coming in and out. There were the smaller doors painted silver, besides which there was writing engraved on the wall.

The twins and Harsh immediately sat down comfortably.

“Now,” Molly began, as she turned to look at the twins, Harsh and Raman, “We’ll be back in no time. I do apologize for making you wait unnecessarily.”

“Oh no,” Raman said, shaking his head, “On the contrary, I am glad enough to have my nieces alone with me for a few moments! Please take your time.”

Molly nodded with a smile and led the trio with her through the silver doors.

Meanwhile, the twins read the writing that was engraved on the wall. It said-

 _*Enter, stranger, but take heed_  
Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
For those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
So if you seek beneath our floors  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure there.

**_*{Harry Potter- the Sorcerers’ Stone}_ **

The twins raised their eyebrows as they read the writing.

“Well, they _are_ serious about security, aren’t they?” Anya said, crossing her arms and sitting more comfortably against the couch.

“Whether it’s the Indian branch or the English branch, goblins are really cunning and sly creatures,” Harsh said softly from beside her. She turned her head to look at him with surprise as he continued, “They do business with the wizard-folk, but they serve on the exact terms that were laid and agreed by them. Other than that, they don’t even care. That makes them extremely dangerous. And on top of that, they are honorable as well. If you were to approach the Goblins with a deceitful or a dishonest intention, they would be sure to bring down immediate death and ruin upon you and your family.”

There was slight silence as she stared at him for a short while.

_Wow… he sure does read a lot, doesn’t he? That’s good. Most of the others don’t even understand the other creatures, instead belittling them and thinking that they’re superior to anyone else… Well, it must be in his very nature… he’s just so quiet, so shy with everyone…_

“Wow. You seem to know a lot about Goblins Harsh,” Anya said.

Harsh tensed slightly. He knew when people spoke to him in that kind of voice, it always meant that he would be teased or made fun of, or even used for their own ends. But when he turned his head to look at her, her eyes showed none of the deceit or malice. Instead, they showed approval, slight interest, and even light-hearted amusement. The smile on her face prompted him to smile back at her.

Anusha, meanwhile, looked on as Anya tentatively engaged Harsh into a pleasant conversation.

“Wow,” she commented, “She has managed a feat with Harsh, _Mama_.”

Raman smiled softly as he turned his attention to Anya and Harsh.

“Oh yes, indeed she has.”

____----____----____

“Well,” Molly said, as they stepped out of the bank, “Let’s start with stationaries! I believe we must go from small to large!”

Raman raised his eyebrows at her as she led them all to the stationaries first. The shop was small, but they had all the good stock with them. They all had bought their own stationaries, but the twins bought some special ink as well, just in case.

The trio and twins were feeling slightly hesitant around Harsh, what with his quiet and demure nature. But they involved him with small conversations after a short while and were happy to see him answer softly. So, by the time they left for the Quidditch shop for Harry to buy some materials for his broom, they found out his apparent disinterest for Quidditch.

“But why?!” Ron asked loudly, “Why do you hate _Quidditch_ , of all things?”

“Because I see no point in it. It’s just a game with players throwing around a ball, with magically induced fastballs flying around that could hit you and hurt you very badly. What’s the point of hurting yourself unnecessarily?”

Harry and Ron and the twins as well were horrified by his disinterest, while Hermione smirked smugly.

“Ah finally! Someone understands how pointless that game is!” She exclaimed.

“You watch out Granger!” Anusha warned playfully.

“Yeah! We can’t change your mindset, but we’ll change his! You’ll see!” Anya added, looking extremely determined. As Hermione huffed and commented on something else, Raman and Molly shared a look and chuckled collectively.

“These kids!”

“Well, they do have quite the love for Quidditch. They have their memories associated with it,” Raman said, his smirk diminishing. Molly turned her head to look at him.

“Their mother was a true fanatic of Quidditch. She took them to matches and trials since they were three,” Raman said, his smile turning nostalgic.

Molly nodded, feeling sad all of a sudden.

“How was she like?”

“Brilliant. I could’ve never dreamt of a more wonderful sister, truly,” Raman murmured, blinking to clear away the sudden wetness in his eyes.

“I know,” Molly said softly, rubbing his arm for a moment, before pulling away.

“I see the pain in his eyes, Mr. Acharya, all the time when he thinks no one is looking. He just turns his head to look at them and I see the pain in his eyes then,” She said quietly.

Raman nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out and blinking back his emotions.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to put a damper on this day out,” Raman said, shaking his head and smiling at her softly.

“Oh no! You must speak about these things with others,” She said, patting him on the arm in a friendly gesture.

He nodded and looked ahead at the kids.

The next shop they entered was the Eeylops Owl Emporium, where they bought food for their pets.

“Well,” Raman announced, “I promised your Papa that I would buy an owl for you both. Harsh, you would need an owl as well,” Raman said, “So, what kind do you want, huh?”

“A simple one would suffice, Raman,” Harsh answered quietly, going over the cages to look over the different owls kept there. The twins looked at each other and shrugged.

“What he says, _Mama_ ,” Anusha said, looking around the shop.

After looking at all of the owls, Harsh took one Eurasian Eagle-owl, while the twins decided on a southern white-faced owl.

“Very good choice sir,” The shopkeeper commented, “That would be fourteen sickles.”

Raman paid for them and they left the Owl Emporium for their next stop- The apothecary.

“Are you kidding me?” Anusha muttered, looking at her ingredients for the fifth year.

“I know, right? This is like going back through last year,” Anya murmured back, making sure of refilling every slot of ingredients that were in low amounts. They knew that they would get the rest of the rare, more important ones from their father’s personal stores.

“Got everything?” Harry asked as he came from inside the stores with Ron and Hermione in tow. Raman was with Harsh and Molly had gone to fill up some of the ingredients for Ginny and the twins.

“Yup, let’s go. We just need to pay for them,” Anusha said, turning to look at him.

“Well, well, look who it is,” A snobbish voice said from behind them, “Potty, weasel and Granger.”

Harry bristled but schooled his expression as he turned to look at Draco Malfoy, who gave him a mocking smirk in greeting.

“Malfoy,” Harry said, as a way of explanation. The twins’ eyes widened as they snapped their heads to the blond.

 _“So, that’s Papa’s godson,”_ Anusha observed, looking up and down at him.

 _“He looks so pompous and self-righteous,”_ Anya said, looking at him with blatant distaste.

Seeing no change in expression, Malfoy’s smirk dimmed slightly, but it didn’t deter him.

“So, Weasel, what did your family had to sacrifice for shopping this year? Your lunch or dinner, or that pathetic little house of yours huh?” Malfoy asked malice dripping from his tone. The twins turned their heads to look at Ron, whose face had turned red with anger.

“Shut it, ferret!” Ron said, sneering.

“Ron,” Anusha said slowly, moving to stand in front of him, “Calm down.”

Harry turned his back rudely at Malfoy to look at his best friend.

“Yeah, mate. He’s not worth it,” Harry said softly, patting his shoulders. Malfoy gave him an ugly glare before turning his eyes to them.

By this time, Raman, Molly, and Harsh came back to stand with them and watch the interaction. Molly tried to intervene, but Raman shook his head at her.

“Don’t. Trust me, they are well equipped to handle this situation, Mrs. Weasley,” Raman murmured to her. Molly stared at him for a long moment, before sighing and watching the interaction.

“Who are they, Potter? Your fan-club members?” He asked, sneering at them. They raised an eyebrow at him, before stepping to stand in front of him.

“Anusha Maurya,” Anusha introduced herself, holding out her hand for him to shake.

“Anya Maurya,” Anya went in next, holding out her hand as well.

Malfoy’s expression was absolutely priceless as he stared at him, his mouth agape and his eyes wide as saucers.

“Well?” Anusha prompted.

“Snap out of it, Mr. Malfoy. I can assure you, neither I nor my twin has any interests seeing your open mouth,” Anya commented, looking at him distastefully.

That snapped Malfoy out of his reverie and he immediately shook their hands one by one.

“I apologize, Heiresses, for speaking like that in your presence. I assure you it’ll never happen again.”

“Please see that it doesn’t. Ronald Weasley is our friend and it is very offensive to us to hear of him and his family in such a manner,” Anusha said softly with a warning tone.

“Of course, Heiress Maurya,” he murmured, bowing till his waist for a moment before he stood straight.

“Draco, there you are,” A soft feminine voice said from behind him. The twins looked up to see a beautiful blond woman in her middle age entering the shop. She wore dark violet robes which made her seem grand even for them. They saw how her eyes looked up at them from the top to the bottom of their toes as if studying them before they flickered at Draco.

“Oh hello! Are you both Draco’s school friends?” She asked, smiling at them politely, “I’m Narcissa Malfoy, Draco’s mother.”

“Good afternoon, Lady Malfoy,” The twins greeted her together, giving her polite smiles. Narcissa’s smile widened.

“Draco, introduce us,” Narcissa murmured, smiling at them.

“Mother, this is Heiress Anusha Maurya and that is her twin, Heiress Anya Maurya,” Draco murmured to her. Narcissa’s smile froze for a second before she composed herself.

“It is quite a pleasure to meet you both,” She said, shaking their hands softly.

“Oh no. The pleasure is all ours,” Anusha said, smiling at her politely.

“I do hope your Grandparents are well?” She enquired. The twins smiled at her for a moment. If she had known about the attacks HE had conducted on them, then she was hiding it very well.

“Yes, they are quite well. Thank you for asking,” Anya answered.

“Is this your first time in Diagon Alley? We can help you with your shopping,” She asked, looking hopeful.

“No, but it is our first time shopping for Hogwarts,” Anusha answered.

“Oh! Which year are you beginning?” She asked, looking curious.

“We are joining the fifth year,” Anya answered.

“Oh, how lovely! If you require any help, I’m sure Draco would love to help you,” Narcissa said with a polite smile.

“We’d be glad of the help. Thank you,” Anusha said, nodding to her. Narcissa smiled.

“Heir Malfoy, I do hope we have a more friendly chat in the future,” Anya said with a warning tone. Draco gulped and glanced at the trio, who simply stared over at their interaction.

Narcissa blinked curiously at her heir, before turning her attention back to the girls in front of her.

“It would be my pleasure, Heiress,” Draco said, his tone quivering slightly.

“Well, I do apologize but we have quite a lot of shopping to do,” Narcissa said apologetically.

“Of course. Good day, Lady Malfoy, Heir Malfoy,” Anusha said, nodding to her and sighed quietly as both the Malfoys exited the shop.

“Phew! That was…” Anya trailed off.

“I know. That was too much shit for one day. First the journalist, then that brat! Such a prick!” Anusha cursed.

“Now, now,” Raman reprimanded her, coming to stand beside her.

“But Lady Malfoy seems nice, just as Papa told us,” Anya remarked.

“Well, she’s the wife of a Bloody Death Eater! She’s a part of evil!” Ron spoke up angrily. The twins turned to look at the redhead for a few moments, before turning to Molly.

“Mrs. Weasley, how about we take a break and eat some ice-cream? It’s been a while since we ate at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor,” Anusha said, smiling nostalgically.

“Oh yeah! The last time was…” Anya trailed off, her smile diminishing rapidly as she remembered.

“A few months before Ma passed away,” Anusha said, nodding to herself. Raman sighed and squeezed their shoulders affectionately.

“Of course! Why not?” Molly said, accepting and leading the trio towards the exit, giving Raman some time with the twins. Ron could be heard talking about his favorite flavor to Harry and Hermione.

Harsh stayed behind with Raman. He wanted to support him in any way possible.

“Come on then,” He murmured, glancing at Harsh, who nodded and shrunk his things and pocketed them. All four of them followed the trio and Molly as they walked through the crowds. Raman glanced at the twins and felt saddened by the look in their eyes. He resolved to keep them happy for the rest of the day.

“I seem to remember that time,” Raman began with an impish look on his face, “That was the time when you managed to convince her to take you all the way from India to here just for ice-cream, right?”

The twins chuckled at the memory, while Harsh looked on with a smile on his face.

“Oh yeah! I remember how she was trying to keep herself in control as we went on reminding how long it had been since she had  and then suddenly she went ‘Oh, Merlin help me! Fine, we’re going for an ice-cream in London!’”

“Yes, I remember the incident particularly because she had a super important business meeting and I was forced to conduct it on my own! Your _Nana_ was torn between being amused and angry at her, while Sarakshi was exasperated at you three. She had entered in the middle of the meeting, all muddled up and smelling of chocolate and caramel. She even had some on her face,” Raman said, smirking fondly at the memory. The twins smirked at the memory.

“I like remembering her this way,” Anya murmured, rubbing at her eyes, which were suddenly burning. Anusha simply placed her arm around her and pulled her close to comfort her.

“I know. I do too.”

“Well, Harsh? Do you have any good memories of ice-cream with your parents?” Anya asked conversationally.

Harsh stopped slightly to stare at them. The twins blinked at him, while Raman grimaced slightly, fearing that he might react in a bad way or worse, go back to being closed.

_Oh shit._

But instead, Harsh’s eyes softened incredibly.

“Yes, I do. I remember when I was five, we used to live in a smaller house back then. There was a kulfi man who used to go around the neighborhood, especially in the summers. He used to make fresh kulfi. It was always my favorite flavor, that one. When we moved away, it had all stopped. Then I had grown older and just gave time for studies. But I would always remember those times. I will always cherish them,” Harsh said softly, looking ahead.

The twins and Raman blinked and smiled at him. Anya simply patted his arm for comfort. He looked at her and nodded, grateful for the comfort.

They finally reached the ice-cream parlor and found the table Molly and the trio was sitting on.

“Ah, there you are!” Molly called out jovially, “Go on! Order your flavors! We do have the books and the school robes to shop for as well!” She said, hurrying them towards the counter.

Harsh took a double scoop of dark chocolate, saying that he never had it much. Anusha and Anya decided to take a chocolate sundae, while Raman settled for simple vanilla.

They all settled down with the others and enjoyed their treats. But Ron looked a little bit put out as he took in another spoonful of his bowl of ice-cream.

“Why did you speak to Malfoy’s mother like that?” Ron grumbled. The twins stared at him for a few moments.

“I mean, it’s not like she would ever be polite to anyone else without there being a very good reason or anything,” He continued.

“Ron, we know what you mean,” Anya began softly.

“In fact, we’ve come across those kinds of people before,” Anusha added.

“But our Papa told us that there wasn’t any need to worry about her. And believe me, there are very few people for whom he would ever say that,” Anya said.

“So, we acted as polite to her as we would to anyone,” Anusha finished.

Ron huffed and went back to his ice-cream. The twins shook their heads and went back to theirs.

Raman finished his cone quickly and looked up the table and asked, “Does anyone want anything else?”

Ron opened his mouth, but Harry stopped him by shoving his own cone in his mouth.

“Oh no! We’re all fine!” Molly said, standing up and going after him.

“Now, Mr. Acharya, I must ask you to let me give half the money-”

“Oh no, you don’t! Please consider this my treat!” Raman said, looking at her with a smile.

“I can’t accept that! It’s too much!” Molly argued.

“I can assure you it’s not,” Raman said with a shake of his head. He turned his head in front, only to crash with someone who was coming from the other side. He stumbled but caught himself in time. He felt his shirt becoming wet and sticky and looked down to see mint chocolate chip smack at the center of his shirt.

“I’m sorry!” A girl’s voice exclaimed in front of him (The owner of the ice-cream, no doubt).

“Oh no! It’s alright! It’s my fault-” Raman said apologetically as he looked up but stopped as he stared at the same brown eyes that had caught his attention since the day he had laid eyes on them.

“Kaira?!”

Anusha’s spoon stopped halfway as she looked up to see Anya gulp her ice-cream slowly and turn her head towards her.

“What…” They muttered together as they turned back to see Kaira stare at their Uncle with shock etched on her face.

“Oh shit,” Anusha muttered, face-palming, while Anya looked on in slight horror at Kaira’s shocked expression becoming slightly pained. After all, she still hadn’t forgiven him for what he had done, and it seemed from her expression, that she hadn’t moved on from him either. But thankfully, instead of creating a scene, she composed herself, much to the relief of the twins, who sighed tiredly and stood up, leaving their bowl. Ron’s attention snapped to their ice-cream as his mouth watered.

“May I have that?” He asked and simply took the bowl from its place. The twins shook their heads at him exasperatedly.

“Yeah Ron, you may,” Anusha said as she wiped her hands and mouth from the napkin and threw it on the table and turned around with Anya and walked over to Raman.

 _“This is so not what I had imagined our fifteenth birthday to be,”_ Anusha groaned, resisting the urge to shout out loud.

 _“Nor did I, sis. But what has ever happened according to our wishes, huh?”_ Anya muttered back through their connection. Anusha contemplated her twin’s response for a moment, before nodding.

 _“You’re right. Now, let’s get this over with,”_ Anusha answered.

“Raman,” Kaira murmured to him softly, looking at him politely.

“Hi. How are you?” Raman asked, staring at her unabashedly, feeling his heart stutter as he looked at her lovely brown eyes.

Kaira’s jaw clenched, but she smiled at him weakly and said, “I’m good. Very well in fact.”

“Kaira!” Anusha exclaimed, smiling at her brightly as she came towards them. The dark-haired woman turned her head to smile back brightly at the twins.

“Ah, my little dolls!” She exclaimed.

“How are you?” Anya asked, hugging her tightly. She was hugged back just as tightly. Anusha did the same.

“I’m alright! How are you two little munchkins?” Kaira asked, smirking at them impishly. They chuckled at her, happy to see her obviously.

“We’re good! And fifteen today!”

“Oh yeah! I almost forgot it’s your birthday today! I’m so sorry! I’ll promise to send you both your gifts!” Kaira said apologetically.

“So, how are Vikram and Sarakshi?” She then asked.

“They’re well! Well, they’re missing you a lot and would love it if you go and pay them a visit,” Anya said, wrapping an arm around Kaira’s shoulders.

“Oh, I would! I miss them too! I would’ve paid it a long time back, but I was so busy with work and tours and training. But I promise that I’ll go and visit. It’s the next thing on my to-do list,” Kaira said, looking slightly guilty.

Anusha then noticed Molly observing their interaction curiously.

“Mrs. Weasley, this is our mother’s best friend and our godmother, Kaira Kapoor. Kaira, this is Mrs. Weasley,” Anusha said, introducing them. They shook hands, smiling at each other.

“Nice to meet you,” Kaira said, looking at her curiously for a moment.

“You too!”

“I say, do you have family in Egypt? I seem to know a William Weasley who used to work at the Gringotts branch there as the curse breaker,” She asked curiously.

“Oh, that’s my eldest son!” Mrs. Weasley exclaimed happily.

“Wow! Yes, he used to work there, but he decided to get a desk job in England this year because he wanted to be close to the family,” She said, remembering her friend.

“Yes, well, he was just missing us too much,” Mrs. Weasley murmured, nodding to herself.

 “He’s a good friend of mine. I missed him these past few months. How is he currently?”

“He’s very well and apparently teaching English to a Miss. Delacour,” Mrs. Weasley said, frowning in disapproval. Obviously, she didn’t like William interacting with the girl. Kaira hummed to herself, determined not to look at Raman at all. The twins sensed this and nodded to each other.

“Kaira, come and meet our friends,” Anya said, pulling her towards their table to the trio.

“This is Harry, Ron, and Hermione. That’s Harsh, _Mama’s_ ward, his cousin’s son,” Anusha pointed out to each of them. She looked at the sixteen-year-old, who stared at her quietly. She blinked and nodded to them and they nodded back, Ron with his mouth full of the ice-cream he had taken from the twins.

“So what are you two doing here in London?” Kaira asked, looking at her goddaughters questioningly.

“We’re shopping for Hogwarts!” Anya exclaimed happily.

“We’re joining this year,” Anusha added.

“Wow! So, your Papa agreed to that?” Kaira asked lightly, but the others noticed the underlying concerned tone.

“Yes. He did. I reassured him,” Raman spoke up, for the first time since seeing her. Kaira turned her head to stare at him for a few moments before nodding tersely. The tension between them was thick enough to choke on.

“Anyways,” Anusha began slowly, “How about you accompany us for the rest of our shopping trip, huh? It’ll be fun!”

Anusha could feel her _Mama_ burning holes on the back of her head. She gulped slightly. Kaira stiffened slightly, glancing at Raman, before looking back at Anusha.

“Aw sweetheart, I wish I could, but I have somewhere to be,” Kaira said, looking at her apologetically.

Seeing the twins deflate slightly, Kaira considered something and perked up.

“Okay, an option. How about I visit you during your weekends, huh?” Kaira asked, wiggling her eyebrows at them.

“I don’t know. Do they allow that kind of thing?” Anusha asked, looking doubtful.

“Yeah,” Harry spoke up, “We have Hogsmeade weekends, where they let us go to the village and spend the day there.”

“Okay, thanks. So, what do you two say?” She asked the girls, who nodded enthusiastically.

“Cool with me,” Anusha said.

“Me too,” Anya echoed. Kaira chuckled before she glanced at her watch and her eyes widened.

“Oh sh- Now, I’m sorry, but I must run!” 

“But what about your ice-cream?”

“Oh well, I’ll have it another time! I’m getting late for a meeting! See you two!” She said in a rush, kissing them both on their foreheads.

She nodded to Molly and the others and stared at Raman, who gave her a weak nod. She nodded back quickly and walked out quickly.

Raman stared at her receding back as she walked out of the parlor quickly. He blinked and looked away for a moment, clenching his fists, before saying distractedly, “I’ll, umm, I’ll get the bill.”

As soon as he had gone to the counters, Mrs. Weasley rounded up on the twins.

“What was that?” She exclaimed, clearly gesturing to Raman and Kaira.

“Long story Mrs. Weasley,” Anusha said tiredly, walking back and slumping into her seat. Anya followed suit and Molly took her seat quickly.

“Well, we have some time then,” Molly countered. The twins raised their eyebrows, before nodding at her.

“Fine. Throw your questions at us,” Anya said tiredly. For a short moment, everyone was silent. It was, to everyone’s surprise, Harsh, who raised the first question.

“Who was she?” Harsh asked curiously. The twins blinked at him.

“Well, like I had said, she is our late mother’s best friend. She has been since they were fourteen. _Nana_ and her father ran in the same friend's circle,” Anusha began.

“Long story short, both of them had feelings for one another. The others had approved of it and all. But, our _Mama_ , in his youth had been very, very stupid, not seeing that she loved him and went and made a huge mistake, which broke her heart. It’s not our story to tell what he did, nor do we know,” Anya said.

“When he realized what he had done, he went to apologize to her and confessed his feelings for her. But she, she remembered the heartbreak he had caused her and flat out refused him. They fell out and she left for Egypt to work,” Anusha continued.

“So, since then, her only contact with us was letters once in a while and postcards,” Anya added.

“And from the looks of it, they have not seen each other since that fight and rejection,” Anusha finished.

“Oh we can see _that_ ,” Molly said, letting out a deep breath and shook her head.

“The tension was very thick,” Hermione agreed, nodding.

“But it can’t be _that_ huge a thing to make her move countries away from him, right?” Ron asked for confirmation. All the females slowly turned their heads to stare at him. Harry and Harsh both raised their eyebrows slightly at their reaction.

“Ugh, Ron placed his foot in his mouth again,” Harry muttered to Harsh, who gave him a look of agreement.

“Oh really?” Hermione asked sarcastically.

“Boys,” Molly huffed.

“Tell me, do you really think you’ve not done anything stupid enough to upset Hermione, or Ginevra or either of us?” Anya asked rhetorically. Ron’s face flushed slightly as he got the point. He simply went back to scrap the contents of the bowl.

“I think that’s stupid, moving countries away,” Ron grumbled.

“No opinions here, Ronald! We don’t know what exactly happened to make her move away! And I am pretty sure that he must have done something incredibly stupid to make her move away,” Anusha said, sitting more comfortably against her seat. Ron shared a look with Harry and Harsh, the former shrugging and the latter pursuing his lips.

Just then, Raman returned back from the counter. His shirt was clean again and he looked as lively as he could after that interaction.

“So, it’s just the books and clothes now. So let’s get it done!” He said jovially.

____----____----____

Severus had reached Diagon Alley after finishing his time table. He was there under the pretense of ordering the last minute potion ingredients that were quite rare and took time to be exported. Only the aconite fluid and Adder’s fork were left for the Seventh Year NEWT students. But in reality, he was looking for Raman and his girls. He looked around the crowds, looking extremely uncomfortable, when he heard a light cough behind him. He turned around and saw Narcissa and Draco standing there with a polite smile on their faces.

“Good afternoon, Professor Snape!”

“Mrs. Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy,” He greeted them in a polite manner.

“Nice to see you here!”

“Yes, I just came to the apothecary for some last minute refill for the potions stores,” He said nonchalantly.

“Oh. Well, I must ask you, did you know that the Maurya heiresses are joining the school this coming September?”

Severus blinked at her on the outside, while on the inside, he sighed in resignation.

_So, the news is out already…_

“Apologies, but I am not privy to the new admissions here, Mrs. Malfoy. That responsibility goes with Headmaster Dumbledore,” Severus said, sarcastically. Narcissa cracked a smirk at him.

“Well, we were just introduced to them in the apothecary,” She said, conspiringly.

“Alright. If I do get introduced to those esteemed ladies, I’ll be sure to tell you,” He said, and nodded to them and walked off in the direction of the apothecary.

As he got nearer to his destination, he noticed Raman and the twins, along with Harsh walking towards the Ice-cream parlor. The twins were chuckling at something Raman was telling them. They seemed fine enough. Satisfied, he went in the apothecary to make his last minute enquiries. The shopkeeper, Mr. Aldridge, nodded to him in greeting.

“Good afternoon, Professor. Came here for the aconite fluid and Adder’s fork, I presume?”

“Yes, Mr. Aldridge. It was kind of you to get the stock of it in such a short notice,” Severus said, nodding to him. The old man smiled and shook his head.

“They are ready and packed for the school, Professor,” He answered.

“I’d like to check the ingredients, if I may, sir,” Severus said. After all, good ingredients were paramount to an excellent potion.

“Of course. That is why I kept the box open, just in case,” Mr. Aldridge said, gesturing to his office. Severus followed him and found the boxes on the table. He checked both the boxes thoroughly and found the ingredients to be completely satisfactory. He nodded in approval and Mr. Aldridge chuckled and sent for the boys to pack it up.

“Mr. Aldridge, please, put it on the Hogwarts accounts,” Severus said, shaking the old man’s hand.

“Of course, Professor,” He answered. Severus nodded and walked out of the shop in the direction of the ice-cream parlor. He came to the entrance of the parlor, only to find Kaira standing there with the group. He barely kept himself from going into shock.

_Oh damn, this is not good… not good at all… Why, Merlin, why does it have to happen today, of all days?!_

He saw his wife’s best friend speak some more to the twins, before leaving and going out of the ice-cream parlor towards him. She saw him and her eyes widened. He shook his head inconspicuously at her. She understood immediately, and understanding dawned in her eyes. She simply walked past him towards her destination, wherever that is.

He sighed tiredly.

_Seems like they are having quite the day… I’ll be told about it sooner or later… best I leave now…_

Deciding on going back Hogwarts, he walked back towards the Leaky Cauldron.

____----____----____

The rest of the trip was thankfully devoid of any reporters, bullies or ex-beaus. Hermione was almost ecstatic as she entered the bookshop. She took a deep breath and smelled the fresh parchment and leather and sighed. The twins chuckled at her behavior.

“I love that smell,” Was all she murmured before her expression became predatory as she all but pounced on the books there.

“Well,” Anusha commented, “I pity the boy who would ever think of pursuing Hermione. She would eat him alive!”

“Well, depends on whether he’s predatory as well,” Anya murmured back as they went inside.

The last to enter were Harry and Ron. The latter was grumbling loudly about the unfairness of the huge syllabus and the large amounts of homework.

The twins looked at each other and nodded.

“So, I’ll meet you near the counter,” Anusha said, going into one part of the bookstore. Anya went to the other side.

Finding the main subjects was incredibly easy- Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration; Anusha was in the Charms, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes section, but it was really hard to look for Sanskrit and Latin textbooks. They had decided to give the OWLS for the last two subjects privately to be done with them at once.

She looked for the language books shelf after shelf and finally found the Latin textbook for the fifth year, but it was perched on the topmost shelf. She glared at it, angry at the fact that she wouldn’t be able to reach it. She tried leaning up to get it but to no avail.

Suddenly, a pair of long-fingered hands grabbed the book from its place and pulled it down. She turned around to see Harsh holding the book out to her awkwardly.

“Is this what you wanted?” He murmured, looking into her eyes. Anya noticed the light catching in his eyes and brightening his pupils to a beautiful color.

She blinked back and glanced at the book, before smiling up at him softly.

“Yes, it is! Thank you,” she said, taking the book. Her hand brushed against his softly as she took it. He tensed and pulled away, before nodding and walking away quickly. Anya blinked, staring after him with confusion.

_Wow, he is incredibly awkward around people, isn’t he?_

Anya shrugged and picked up the books and went to the counter, where Anusha was waiting for her. Everyone else had taken their books already and was currently paying for them.

“Did you get all of them?” Anusha asked quietly.

“Yup. I only got the Latin textbook, so we’ll have to see about the Sanskrit book,” Anya murmured. Raman overheard the conversation.

“I’ll have them ordered and sent for you three,” He said immediately, gesturing to the girls and Harsh. The twins and Harsh looked at him gratefully.

“Thank you,” They said together.

By the time they reached Madam Malkin’s, it was late afternoon.

“Now,” Molly began, “Let’s get this done quick! We’re given a curfew by Alastor, and I’ll have my ears chipped off by his reprimanding!”

“Don’t tell me you’re actually scared of him?”

“Oh no. I’m just very tired and exasperated by that man!”

The teens chuckled, while Raman and Harsh looked on curiously. Just then, entered a lady in her middle age with smart robes entered the front of the shop.

“Good afternoon! I’m Madam Malkin! Here for new robes?” She asked briskly, her notepad ready for taking readings.

“Yes, all of them need to get their measurements done,” Mrs. Weasley explained quickly, sending all of them in front.

“These three new to it?” Malkin asked, gesturing to the twins and Harsh curiously. Molly nodded.

“Well, I need you to stand straight for just a few moments,” The woman murmured, pulling Harsh in front first. She began taking his measurements, rapidly barking out the numbers for the notepad to write them off quickly. Harsh stood straight, all tensed up and stiff.

“Right,” She said after a few moments, “That’s you done. Just the school robes or a whole wardrobe?” She asked quickly. He quickly glanced at Raman, who simply said, “A whole wardrobe. He’ll need it.”

“What?” Harsh exclaimed, “Raman, I don’t-”

“You do, and you know it,” Raman cut him off quickly and raised a hand in silence as Harsh opened his mouth again and said softly, “You just can’t wear those same jeans and shirt all the time, can you? Anyways, your father would haunt me for the rest of the eternity if I neglect you,” Raman added the last part with an impish smirk on his face. Harsh couldn’t help but crack a hint of a smile at him and nodded at him.

After Harsh were Anusha and Anya. They had been quicker, as their measurements were almost the same. They agreed to a whole wardrobe as well.

The trio just needed new school robes, and as for Ginny, she had just wanted her hem to be slightly longer and the Weasley twins had grown to their brother’s clothes, there was no need for new robes for them.

After nearly half an hour, the group entered the Leaky Cauldron. The adults breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, the shopping finally is done!” Molly exclaimed, looking tired.

“Yes. Thank you so much for accommodating us both,” Raman said, bowing his head in gratitude.

“Oh no, it was a pleasure meeting you and Harsh! I do hope to get to know you better in the future,” Molly said, shaking his proffered hand with a smile.

“Girls, I wish this day could’ve been more… normal to you both,” Raman said, kissing them both on their foreheads one by one, before he murmured, “Happy birthday to you two. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you much better gift.”

“Oh no! We love this owl! She’s a beauty!”

“I promise to make it up to you both in Christmas,” He declared.

They nodded with a bright smile, hugging him one by one.

As Anusha was hugging him, Anya turned to Harsh, who blinked at her.

“Again, thanks for giving me the book! I’ll see you in the express, yeah?”

His eyes widened. Never had anyone said that to him. After the first conversation, everyone generally tended to avoid him and came to him only when they needed to get work done. But this was the first time anyone was looking forward to seeing and talking to him again. The thought made him smile a small smile and nod at her in response.

“Yes,” He murmured. The trio smiled and nodded to him and he nodded back.

Seeing Harsh’s reaction made Raman smile brightly.

_He’s opening up… oh, thank god…_

“So, I guess I’ll be seeing you two later,” Raman said, stepping back with Harsh and walking towards the fireplace. Taking some floo powder, he threw down and called out, ‘The Ministry of Magic!’ and walked in. Harsh glanced back to look at the teens, before looking Anya in the eyes and walking into the bright green fires as well.

“Well,” Molly said after a few moments, “Let’s get back! I have to prepare a dinner for the family after all!”

____----____----____

The trio, Twins and Molly entered the Grimmauld place, looking slightly haggard, but otherwise happy. They entered the living room to find Severus, Sirius, and Moody waiting for them.

“Harry!” Sirius exclaimed, standing up and going to his godson, while Moody gave Molly a look.

“You’re late,”

“Excuse me, but shopping takes a while Alastor!”

“It shouldn’t!”

“Now look here…” Molly started with a loud voice, which made the twins and Severus wince. The twins ignored the two and went to their father who smirked at them.

“I looks like you were having fun with your _Mama_ and Harsh,” He commented. The girls looked at him with surprise.

“When did you see us?”

“Like I said, I was in the Diagon Alley. I wanted to check over the ingredients. It was then that I met the Malfoys. They told me of the introduction.”

“Oh, then you don’t know that we intercepted Rita Skeeter the moment we entered the Diagon Alley,” Anya said. Severus looked at them with wide eyes.

“What?” He exclaimed. The twins nodded.

“She um, she asked us for an interview,” Anusha said slowly.

“But we refused,” Anya added quickly.

“Instead, we gave her the news that we’re joining Hogwarts,” Anusha finished.

Severus’ eye twitched. He was about to say something, but he stopped himself. He knew that with the twins’ status came certain times that their lives had to be publicized.

“And after meeting Malfoy, we had an equally awkward meeting with Kaira,” Anya continued. He nodded to them.

“I saw her, when I was coming out of the Apothecary. How awkward was it between them?” He asked.

“Very,” Anusha answered, grimacing. Looking at his grimace, she continued, “She wasn’t angry, but it was still filled with tension.”

“So yeah, definitely awkward,” Anya supplied.

“Like I said, you both are trouble magnets. With Potter and his cohorts, I knew that they’d be some major incidents involving you all,” He said, running a hand through his hair as he sat down on the couch.

“Hey!” Anusha grumbled.

“Not our fault! We didn’t even know Kaira was going to be there!” Anya said, with a grumpy expression. Severus looked at them with an unreadable expression, before he sighed.

“Yes, well, what’s done is done,” Severus said, his eyes softening as he looked at them. He gestured them beside him. They practically slumped on the sofa on either side of him. Anya laid her head on his lap, while Anusha laid her head on his shoulder.

“I’m so tired,” Anusha murmured, closing her eyes. She fell asleep almost immediately. Anya did the same, resting her head on his shoulder and falling asleep.

Severus wanted to wake them up, but he didn’t have the heart to. Instead, he sighed and removed Anusha’s hair from her face gently, and maneuvered Anya's head so that it rested comfortably on his lap as well. He knew he had a lot to do, but he didn’t want to disturb them at all.

As for the others, it always shocked them slightly that he was so… good at handling the girls. Molly smiled at them brightly. The trio smiled slightly and shook their heads. They couldn’t quite connect the twins to the girls who had handled Rita Skeeter and Draco Malfoy flawlessly in the Diagon Alley.

Sirius, on the other hand, saw Severus in a new light. He always thought that the Slytherin was slightly authoritarian on the girls, a little shut off from them and kept them away from him for the most part. This just contradicted all his beliefs. It made him slightly jealous as well. He didn’t have many of those moments with Harry. Sure, he spoke with him, but these moments were rare and few in between.

“Bloody hell Snape-” Sirius began, but Severus shushed him sharply, as he gestured the sleeping twins. Sirius snapped his mouth shut and nodded, making a ‘zipping-my-mouth’ gesture. Severus rolled his eyes.

“Come now,” Molly said, smiling at them, “Let them rest. I’ll go and prepare the birthday dinner for them,” She said, much to Severus’ surprise.

“Molly, there’s no need for that-” He began, but he was shushed as well, this time by Molly. Sirius snickered, and showed his tongue to Severus as he glared at him. Severus showed him the finger. Sirius made a gesture of gasping dramatically, much to the amusement of the trio, who were laughing quietly at their antics.

Both Sirius and Severus stopped with their antics as Molly cleared her throat pointedly at them. They looked at her expression and looked away.

“Honestly, it’s like everyone is a child in this house!” Molly muttered to herself.

”But Molly, there no need of a grand party! I’m sure you must tired-”

“Oh hush you! Fifteenth birthday only comes once! You can’t stop me anyway!” Molly said, gesturing to the sleeping girls. Severus opened his mouth to say something, but was quelled with a look by Molly. He sighed and nodded reluctantly.

“Ooh, is there going to be cake today too?” Ron exclaimed. Harry put a hand on his mouth, gesturing to the girls and Severus, who gave Ron a death glare. Ron gulped and tiptoes out of there, happy to escape Snape’s wrath. The others followed him silently, leaving them alone.

 When they were the only ones in the room, Severus looked down at the two girls sleeping soundly. He could hear his brain to just slip their heads on pillows and go back to work. But he shut off those temptations behind his shields and rested his head on the headrest and closed his eyes as well, determined to get a little bit of rest.

When Molly went to check on Severus and the girls, she found them in deep sleep. She smiled at the scene.

_Severus looks so relaxed right now… it’s as though he just forgets his worries and his work when he’s with them… but I can never forget the pain that passes through his eyes when he glances at them… the pain of losing his wife…_

She sighed and went back to the kitchens, determined to make the girls’ birthday a memorable one.

 ____----____----____

The birthday dinner turned out to be one of the best dinners they ever had. The gifts were simple, as the others had been told of their birthday just a little before a week ago. But they were well thought out. Remus had pitched in with Sirius to gift them the most divine chocolates ever. Ron and Harry gave them a broom care kit each, while Hermione bought them a set of muggle novels of a famous crime author Agatha Christie, all of which looked very interesting by the minute. Molly had made them their favorite cake, red velvet as a present, exact to the way they liked it. Dumbledore had given them a very interesting book on ancient runes and wands, while McGonagall gave them _‘Animangus-the link between a wizard and its inner animal’_. The girls had taken to it like fish in the water.

“Well,” Minerva said, “It never hurts to read that, does it? And if you are ever attempting to learn Animangus, I would insist either or both of you come to me instantly, is that clear?” She said sternly.

“Yes ma’am,” They answered solemnly.

But the most fun gift they had got was from Fred and George. The Weasley twins got them a whole box of their pranking treats. The box had a logo of ‘WWW’ made upon it, and opening it, they found various compartments filled with various pranking materials. The twins had been happy to receive the box, much to Mrs. Weasley and their Papa’s exasperation and Sirius unending amusement.

“Our very first edition!” Fred had crowed happily.

“Tell us how you like it!” George added.

“And what else can we do to improve it!” Fred finished.

The twins had laughed heartily.

“Of course!” Anusha said, smirking with glee.

“We’ll not disappoint you!” Anya said, smirking as she rubbed her hands in glee.

They had enjoyed the evening to the fullest and were extremely exhausted when they finally went up to bed, only to find their father in their room.

“I wanted to catch you both alone,” He murmured, standing up from his spot on the bed.  His expression was unreadable and his eyes were slightly closed off, which worried the twins a little.

“Okay, did we do something wrong?” Anusha asked. Anya thought of the things they didn’t do.

“We did thank Mrs. Weasley for the dinner she had made for us,” Anya ticked it off.

“As you should,” Their Papa said sternly, “She made it even after she was tired from the shopping trip.”

“And we also thanked the people who gave us the gifts,” Anusha added.

“Alright, if it’s about the box of pranks, then we’ll not be returning it,” Anya muttered.

“Oh, I know. I’ll just have to find a way to steal it from under your noses,” Severus said. The girls rolled their eyes at him.

“No. I just wanted to give you both my gift. As much as that had made you both happy, Hogwarts letter of acceptance is not an appropriate gift at all,” Severus said.

The twins blinked at him in slight confusion.

He sighed and walked towards them and handed them both a box with identical wrappings. They glanced at each other for a moment, before taking the boxes from him.

Anusha opened it to find a white box, which held a beautiful silver colored watch. It was feminine and it matched Anya’s, only her watch was gold colored. The design was similar to their mother’s favorite watch, which she used to wear all the time. 

“This watch is similar to Ma’s,” Anya said for the both of them, as they looked up to their Papa. He nodded softly.

“Well, you both are growing up to be quite the young ladies, so I believed that a watch similar to that of your mother’s would be the perfect gift for you,” Severus murmured, smiling at them. The girls blinked back tears and simply embraced their father, who wrapped his arms around them tightly.

“Ah, my little girls,” He muttered, pressing a kiss to their foreheads softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was it?? Nice, good, eh? Please tell me what you think of it in the comments section! And please, do leave a kudos! I promise to update sooner this time!
> 
>  
> 
> *{Harry Potter- the Sorcerers’ Stone}


	9. The interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya fellas! How's it going?? I'm back with another chapter for you all... I hope you like it... Because after this chapter, I'll be picking up the pace a little bit... I'm sorry I couldn't post it sooner... I'm having college right now and its just very busy for me right now... But I promise that I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible... 
> 
> Hope you like the new chapter!!

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

**Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however, are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.**

 

_CHAPTER IX_

There was silence as Voldemort sat at the head of the table, the seat that was usually designated to the Head of the house.

He picked up his fork and started eating the scrumptious dinner that the elves that presented in front of them today. It was all grand, of course- with twelve different courses and twelve different wines to complement the food. He had to admit to himself that his hosts always put up a huge show for absolutely anything and everything.  

But he couldn’t care less. He was satisfied; well, as satisfied as he could be at the moment.

He sat in his seat quietly, thinking about his plans for now. Everything was under control- well, almost. That moronic minister of magic, Fudge, was well under Lucius’ grasp, Rookwood was keeping a watch on the department of mysteries, Yaxley was his eyes and ears in the Department of Magical Law enforcement, Severus was his spy against the Order and Dumbledore, and he had a few people loyal to him in the Auror office. Everything was going well, except for one thing.

Harry Potter.

Voldemort snarled just at the thought of the scrawny little fifteen-year-old boy with that damned scar on his forehead. He thought about his latest encounter with that brat earlier this May, when that boy, Diggory, had accompanied him to the graveyard. He hadn't expected two of his most idiotic supporters to actually go far enough to bring him back to life without any of his servants’ help. He had regretted about ordering Diggory’s death, but he shrugged it off.

**_Necessary. It was necessary to kill the spare…_ **

He thought about the latest news that Severus had given him. Harry Potter was presently kept under safety by Dumbledore and his minions. The Malfoy kid and his mother had apparently spotted the brat and his cohorts in the Diagon Alley. And, to his dismay and anger, the Maurya heiresses were also with those three. It was humiliating enough that the Mauryas had rejected his offer of safety, but their answer was to go 'fuck yourself’. He was barely able to control himself from destroying the whole Malfoy Manor in rage.

**_Oh, I'll make them regret rejecting MY offer… I'll make them regret that they defied ME, the greatest dark lord in the history!_ **

Pushing the plans of revenge to the back of his mind, his thoughts turned to his Potions master. He couldn't help but find the young man an enigma. He always wore a mask during the meetings and spoke only when he was ordered to. Otherwise, one wouldn’t hear a peep from that man.  

He remembered how he had come to his summons about two hours later than everyone. He remembered how he had told him his reasons for such a delay, how he was surrounded by a crowd of people, the Aurors, the staff members and how he wasn’t able to sneak away. He remembered the punishment he had given him, two full hours of the Cruciatus, with only half a minute of relaxation, twice.

_That man must be grateful that I gave him another chance, after all the punishments and his lame excuses…_

The Slytherin alumni had done his best to be in his favor since then. He gave him all the information that he required about Dumbledore, about his closest minions and his plans. The Slytherin head had been up to his expectations as usual.

His thoughts then shifted towards the ultimate plan that he had been planning since the mid-94 when he barely had a functional body. He knew what he wanted and he would do absolutely anything to make the plan come to fruition.

_All I require are servants placed in their positions and the correct time to strike… timing is everything… And then, not even Dumbledore or his Brat-who-lived would be able to stop me… Then, the world would finally be mine…_

That brought an evil smile to his face, but he composed himself in time. He didn’t want Lucius to think he was planning something.

_All in good time… all in good time…_

“Lucius, I expect everything to be ready for tonight’s meeting,” He murmured to the man sitting beside him.

____----____----____

“Of course, My Lord,” Lucius murmured, sitting back into his seat and resuming his dinner as HE stood up suddenly and walked out of the dining room. His day had made him moody as ever, and sleepless nights caught up with him as he thought of his life, or what had become of his life.

He thought of what HE was planning- another War on the Wizarding world. The second war in the Wizarding world. He had a feeling that it would be greater than before. The last time the War had ended, he was almost in the Azkaban, had lost his friends and comrades and nearly drowned his family in shame and scandal. This time, he was sure his Lord had thought of something huge and grand. But he wasn’t sure of him and his family’s place in the ‘new world’ that he was apparently planning to create.

He knew that right now, he was his Lord’s most trusted man. After all, he had firmly poisoned the minister’s mind about Dumbledore and Potter and as a result, Fudge was in his pocket. Well, more than he was before. He was able to influence the man into doing anything against Dumbledore. But he knew that his position won’t last long. He remembered his punishment from the Dark Lord when he had returned that day in the Graveyard. The anger in his blood-red eyes as he turned to look at him. He could still feel the effects of the Cruciatus curse on him and break into a cold sweat.

But most of all, he was worried about Narcissa and Draco. Narcissa often spoke of times when the Dark Lord had sniped or snarled at her, even had his wand pointed at her once. When she had told him the news in front of everyone that she had conversed with the Maurya Heiresses, she was demanded to relay every single bit of conversation and when she hesitated, HE had the audacity to slap her face! He had felt a stab of anger then, but he couldn’t do a thing but watch.

_I’ve never hit Narcissa before! I haven’t even lifted a finger against her, ever! I’d be skinned slowly if I ever did…_

Draco was now under greater threat, being directly under HIS nose. Sooner or later, Draco would be demanded to have his arm branded and join the inner circle. That was what had him worried the most. He knew that if he refused, then neither he nor his family would be spared. And if he ever gave him up to join the inner circle, then he would lose him forever. Draco would blame him for ruining his life and giving him up to cater to the whims of a megalomaniac, and Narcissa would never forgive him for putting Draco’s life in jeopardy. His life would be over.

 _No,_ he reminded himself firmly, _that wouldn’t happen! At least, not yet. I still have time… a little time… I have to ensure their safety... and I will… I will if it is the last thing I must do…_

At that slightly optimistic note, he went back to his dinner, returning a small smile to his wife, who sat across from him.

____----____----____

Severus Snape sat, leaning back against his chair in his office. It was eight in the morning and he was awake since nearly four o’clock in the morning. The walk through the dark forest did nothing to change his sullen mood.

 _I hate mornings… especially when it reminds me of the situation I am in…_  

His sheet of parchment on his desk was left untouched, with his quill at the side. He was preoccupied with the most recent Death Eater meeting he had attended, just a few days ago.

_Flashback-_

_Severus sat in his seat in the meeting room at the Malfoy Manor, right between Lucius and Yaxley, the latter looking at him with distaste. Severus gave him back the same look. Yaxley had been one of his first bullies inside the Slytherin common room, but he stopped immediately after he gave him back as good as he got. By the end of it, Slughorn had given detention to both him and his senior, but he had humiliated Yaxley in public. The older man couldn’t let go of the incident that easily, not now, after so many years of working with him. Severus turned his head to HIM, completely ignoring the man beside him._

_“My servants have all arrived, I see,” HE said softly._

_The table grew quiet as everyone turned their attention to HIM, listening raptly._

_“I expect everything is going as well as the last time,” HE said, looking at the four men sitting beside him expectantly. The four men nodded at him collectively._

_“Severus. Tell us, what is the situation in the Order?”_

_“My Lord, they are still struggling to make a deal with the other magical creatures. Hagrid has not been in contact for a while, Lupin is clearly unsuccessful with the werewolf pack and Black is growing agitated day by day.”_

_“Hmm,” HE mused, “Is there any news on Potter?”_

_“He is slowly growing agitated that no one wants to involve him in the war. Black tells him of a few things every now and then, but he never fails to throw a temper tantrum every day,” He said dryly. HE chuckled, before suddenly growing silent._

_“It has been called to my attention by Lady Malfoy that the Maurya heiresses have been spotted with Potter and his cohorts,” HE growled, his eyes shining with hate and rage, but the rest of his face was eerily calm. Severus perked up suddenly but kept his mind blank. On the outside, he looked at HIM calmly, while on the inside, a storm of emotions was raging behind his shields._

_“So, the Mauryas have made their decision. They have chosen a side,” HE murmured softly. The room was filled with tension and ominous silence._

_Then, he looked up and screamed in anger, the magic coming from him and destroying the whole table. The others stood up quickly and shielded themselves from the debris and pieces of wood flying around them. They looked at HIM warily. The Dark Lord was taking deep, harsh breaths to reign in his anger, but to no avail._

_“They dared to defy ME?! I’ll teach them to refuse my offer! I’ll make them regret rejecting my offer! I’ll kill them! I’ll kill them slowly, painfully! And when I’m done with them, they’d wish they hadn’t refused me!”_

_-End Flashback_

Severus felt a multitude of emotions coursing through his head- anger at himself and Raman for allowing the girls to join Hogwarts, fear for the Elder Mauryas, because now, they were in greater danger than ever, and having doubts about the twins being here.

_This is very grave indeed… before, Vikram and Sarakshi just had the threat of being followed, but now, it is the threat to their life! Dammit!_

And on top of that, he had a sinking feeling that HE was planning something big. He had briefly discussed recruiting some foreign dignitaries and people who were loyal to him. It could be that he wanted to increase his numbers, but knowing HIM, he wouldn’t begin a conversation without having ulterior motives.

_Why the foreign dignitaries suddenly? What is he planning? As far as I know of his plans, he simply wants control of Wizarding Britain…_

He sighed and rubbed his face tiredly.

_It’s not even nearing noon, and I just feel so fucking tired…_

But what he was angrier about was Dumbledore’s ignorance in the latest order meeting. Everything was as it was. Hagrid hadn’t contacted at all these few weeks, which made Dumbledore more and more concerned, Lupin’s mission was clearly a fail, the Aurors had nothing useful to report and on top of that, Black threw a huge temper tantrum about not being able to do anything but sit in the dreary house. The only good news was that Potter was finally able to control his emotions and not throw a tantrum all the time. But apart from being concerned for Hagrid, he was as calm as you please. Severus refrained from telling him about the threat on his in-laws. That was his personal matter and Dumbledore had no business knowing it.

Thinking about the war brought out his concerns about the twins. He knew that they were under threat here, what with being in Hogwarts for the entire year. But if he backed out and sent the twins back to India _now_ , then they would be under the threat of being killed.

_At least here, they would be watched on by me and the other professors’… and they’re more than capable of defending themselves…_

_And if there is ever a time when the kids are in danger, I’ll not hesitate to send them to one of the secret locations I have kept just in case…_

The thought of the girls brought back the birthday they celebrated here. He knew the girls would love his choice of gifts; they always did, he noted smugly. He had spotted the watches on their wrists the next day. He knew they would cherish the gift as much as possible.

_Well, they’ve grown up… from those little toerags who used to get up to something or the other to these fine, young ladies, they’ve made quite the journey…_

With a smirk, he remembered their fourth birthday, when they had decided amongst themselves to sneak into the kitchens during the nighttime to bake their own cakes and surprise him and Amisha. They managed to sneak off to the kitchens, but instead of ‘baking’, they decided it would be more amusing to throw white flour on each other. By the time Amisha found them in the kitchen at twelve in the morning, they had made a mess of the whole kitchen. He chuckled to himself as he remembered Amisha’s priceless expression. At that time, both of them got really angry and had given the twins a sound scolding and made them stand in the corner for nearly half an hour while they cleaned up the kitchen. Since it was, technically, their birthday, they decided to forgive them. That birthday was, undeniably, one of the most memorable birthdays they ever had. Amisha had a laugh about it with Kaira afterward.

He sighed as he thought of her.

_She would’ve been proud of them… I’m sure of it…_

He blinked back to reality and picked up his quill again, determined to finish his timetable before anyone else in the staff.

____----____----____

The Great hall of Hogwarts seemed too quiet without the bustle of its students. Instead of four long rows, there was a single row going across the center of the hall where all the professors sat. The professors spoke to one another quietly about their holidays, the timetables and the news from the Prophet.

“This is utter rubbish!” Hooch muttered, gritting her teeth, “Can’t the Prophet post something that is remotely interesting and relevant to the people? _‘Fudge voted wizard of the year’_? Seriously?”

“Well, you really can’t judge the choices of those voters, Rolanda,” Minerva replied, sipping her tea.

“I can if the man is Fudge,” Hooch retorted, crossing her arms.

“Don’t let Umbridge hear you, Ro,” Aurora said from beside the Coach.

“Yes. I hear she’s his favorites. One he trusts the most,” Fillius commented.

“Yes, of course. That’s the reason he sent her to be the new Professor for DADA,” Rolanda muttered in derision, sneering in a way that would’ve made Severus proud.

“Hem-hem,” came the pretentious throat-clearing that made all of them suppress a tired groan. They didn’t even turn their heads to see who it was. They knew. It was Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge, clad in her pink outer robes, pink cardigan, pink dress, pink shoes, hair styled in a way that only made her look more ridiculous and a huge black bow perched on her head. She looked absolutely hideous, with her huge, chubby toad-like face, bulging, baby blue eyes, a small neck and flabby chin. She looked no more than 4’9.

“Merlin why?” Minerva muttered to herself as she all but snatched a piece of sandwich from her plate.

“Good afternoon, professors,” She greeted everyone in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. No one answered her, instead pointedly ignoring her and focusing on their meals.

They had decided to give the silent treatment to the decidedly unwelcome professor, who had made it quite clear what she had wanted on her first day. They knew her since school when she was sorted into Slytherin. A half-blood, father a wizard, mother a muggle, having been influenced by her father to shun her family, her ideologies came from him, mostly. Her callous deeds and speeches against all things ‘impure’ restated their beliefs. Dolores Umbridge wasn’t the sort of woman who should be given a school job, especially one in Hogwarts.

____----____----____

Dumbledore sat back in his seat and sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he put his quill down.

_I feel I deserve a little bit of break… after all, it is a rare occurrence that I am able to complete the checklists for the school students in a matter of two days…_

Almost immediately, his mind diverted to the children under his care this year. He knew that with his strained relationship with Cornelius, there would certainly be a time when he would be forced to resign or simply arrested for his ‘radical’ notions and for ‘trying to usurp the position of the Minister of Magic’. But he was certain that if a time like that ever did come, the other professors would be there to handle Umbridge and the school together. He had complete faith in the four heads of houses and their ability to handle without him with few hiccups.

_Though, all of this makes for quite a memorable year of Hogwarts…_

At the thought of the heads of house, his mind diverted to Severus.

 _Ah, Severus…_ He thought, breathing deeply, _you’ve always been a very intriguing child, ever since I started hearing of you from your professors… quiet, but brilliant… a Half-blood Slytherin, not worth a second glance… I had rather thought you would end up being one of Voldemort’s low-class followers since that was prevalent with the Halfblood wizards in Slytherin at the time… but, you, you were different… befriending a Gryffindor, a Muggle-born girl, no less, of your own year… going against the unspoken rules of your house… yes, you were very fascinating… then, just when you were getting slightly pulled to the dark side, you change, for the better… and then you went along to a meeting with Tom… I still remember your face when you had blurted out everything to me weeks after attending that meeting… terrified, disgusted, you had realized what HE was really like… I could’ve made you a spy in the Slytherin dorms, had your mother not got you out of school and away from Britain, by what Lily told me…_

 _I had never thought I would see you again when I had attended your mother’s funeral… it was rather sad, now that I remember… killed during a Death Eater incursion in Diagon Alley…_ He sighed, shaking his head as he thought of it. _What a waste of life... I remember your face… shocked and broken, as if you could hardly believe she’s gone… The funeral was quiet, and it was sad… but what I remember was the rage in your eyes when I told you how she died… it was then, that I realized, that I still have a chance of placing you as my spy…_

_You were very efficient with your tasks… keeping a secret about your identity, from both the Order and the Inner circle… I was actually, rather shocked that you were able to get a hold of a position in the inner circle… then, the basic Order tasks, brewing Potions for the Order, brewing Potions for the Death Eaters, teaching at Hogwarts… you established yourself quite thoroughly here… a young Professor, a Potions Master, a Spy… but what I didn’t know, is that you were married, and were about to become a father… now that I think about it, I do remember reading an exclusive article about Heiress Maurya spotted in the Diagon Alley and in Muggle London with a noticeable bump… well, now I know why she was actually here…_

_You left after the war… I can understand why you did so… being humiliated and thrown into Azkaban when you actually were an integral part of this war… I know I would’ve done the same when I was your age… but, you didn’t leave because of the reasons I thought… you left to spend your life with your family… I must say, you were quite efficient, keeping your secrets as close as possible… I’m almost proud of you… It was quite an incredulous few days after your greatest secret came into light this May… I could hardly believe it… but, I got used to this fact… and now that I had time to think about it, I find that my plans for you must change… I had thought that I can send you to missions which, in the worst scenario, could result in a painful and long-drawn death for you… but now, you have two fifteen-year-old girls to care for… if I send you on dangerous missions NOW, and if something happens to you... then, I would have not only two volatile fifteen-year-old teenagers but the entire Maurya family behind my life…_

Albus sighed tiredly.

_well, I hardly know whether to feel good about the fact that you have someone waiting for you out there or regret the fact that I can’t send you to life-threatening missions on a whim now… your daughters would certainly be the first to skin me alive…_

His thoughts then drifted to the fifteen-year-old girls presently staying in the Grimmauld place.

_I can openly admit to the fact that they are rather good… though they have their flaws, they are good at what they do… knowing Occlumency at such a young age… that is a feat in itself… They are quite different from their father- brighter, cheekier and more light-hearted… yet, I see their father in them, the slight grouchy attitude... the sense of humor both of them have and those retorts they throw at the others cracks me up sometimes… they definitely get the conscientious attitude from their father… but there’s a gentleness in them, a fire in their eyes, the way they walk, the way they look and joke around and bicker with each other in a way that is not Severus… through them, I can clearly see how their mother must have been like… Heiress Maurya, I can clearly see the kind of fire and determination and guts she must have had that caught Severus’ attention…_

_Well, the girls have been useful to the others right now, but I can see that Severus is too protective of them… it is a feat in itself that he agreed to let them continue their education here at Hogwarts… it would be beneficial, for both Severus and me… they can be protectors for young Harry… protectors and his allies when the time came for it… although, there are drawbacks to this as well now… if I send these two to any missions with Harry, and if they get hurt… I can only imagine what Severus would have in store for me…_

He sighed tiredly and slumped against his chair.

_This is becoming a tiresome business… I must take a break from the work…_

____----____----____

Molly stood silently, whipping the pancake batter to make a hearty breakfast for everyone residing in the Grimmauld Place. She thought about what Arthur had told her as they lay in their bed yesterday. Percy had caused a huge commotion in the Muggle artifacts department, claiming how, in all his life, he had been shunned and pushed away by both his parents and how they had made his life difficult by supporting Dumbledore. He just went on saying such horrible things to his own father, while he just stood there, looking shocked and traumatized by his son’s words. They didn’t tell anything to their kids. They knew how much they would retaliate against their brother. Her family wouldn’t ever be the same ever again.

She blinked back tears and quickly turned her attention to the rest of the brood. It was the twins’ last year. Sometimes, she just couldn’t believe that they were her little boys who used to drive her bonkers with their mischief and cheeky antics. But she worried herself to death when it came to them. They weren’t the brilliant students like her eldest three sons were. The number of complaint letters she got from Minerva about their behavior and conduct was countless. Their grades in Potions was the best, Charms and Transfiguration were above average at best, DADA changed depending on the Professors Dumbledore hired (so, they were on the average). She knew that if they applied themselves properly, they would be able to get a decent job in the ministry. But instead, much to her horror, she found out that they weren’t interested in the ministry jobs. They were more invested in the idea of opening a joke shop. **A joke shop** ! Of all the career options they have in front of them, they choose… _that_.

_Well, I won’t let that happen! They need proper jobs! Not silly jobs… like opening a joke shop, of all things! Oh, the horror!_

Her thoughts turned to her youngest two kids- Ron and Ginny. She couldn’t be any more proud of her youngest children than she already was. Her little Ronnie was to be a prefect, just like his three elder brothers! She knew that once given responsibility, Ron can shine like the others!

_He just has to work hard with his studies and prefect duties… I’m sure he’ll make us proud…_

Then, her thoughts turned to Ginny. Her beautiful, sweet little Ginny. Already one of the most brilliant students of her year. All professors were fond of her little Ginny, even Severus respected her enough not to snarl or pass snarky comments at her, and that is a huge feat in itself. Though now, Molly suspected that behavior was due to the fact that he had daughters of his own. But, Molly noticed that her interest in Harry was waning. In fact, now that she thought of it carefully, she realized that her interest in Harry had been waning since near the end of the third year.

_Maybe the interest and crush on him faded when she saw what he was like up close? He’s a good boy, but she must have been able to spend some time with him and learn what he’s like, as a person and not as the hero everyone thinks… only time will tell…_

_But for now,_ Molly thought to herself, _Think about breakfast for the others…_

____----____----____

Sirius and Remus sat in the library quietly, pouring over the books for a final time before going for breakfast. After all, they were given a reprieve from the usual Order tasks they were normally given by Dumbledore. And what was better than teaching spells to young teenagers, one of which was their Godson?

Remus leaned his head against the headrest of the armchair and sighed as he got lost in thought.

_This is all going very well… I am getting a chance to live my dream of being a professor like I was in Harry’s third year… he’s a talented young man, just like his parents… Oh James, Lily, if only you could see how much your son represents the two of you… You both would’ve been so proud of him…_

_His friends aren’t bad either… Hermione is quite good with her theory, but she needs to practice applying it better in the practical aspects… if she’s able to do it, then she’ll be one of the most formidable witches ever… She has already started to improve… She just needs to understand that learning and keeping the theory in mind is great, but it is the practical matter that becomes important in our lives…_

_Ginevra is quite easily, in a league of her own… she can use some really vicious spells to win a duel… plus, she’s quite practical, like her father, which helps her keep calm in all sorts of situations… she just needs to boost her confidence a little, get out of the shadows of her brothers…  then, no one can stop her…_

_Ronald… the youngest Weasley boy… he’s quite good with his wand, but his dueling skills need more practice… a little bit more practice with spells and he would be as good as Harry… also, he needs to learn to become someone more than Harry’s best friend, create his own identity… he’s made prefect this year… if he works hard enough in his position, then he can form his identity perfectly…_

_Fred and George, and, as for a matter of fact, Anusha and Anya, these twins form a perfect team… one shoots, while the other protects… it’s as if their minds are connected in some way… they might as well be… though all that is good enough, but there might be situations where any of those twins aren’t always going to be together… I just can’t take out of my mind that one time that Anusha was paired with Ron and Anya with Hermione… that was quite the disastrous session, that ended with all four of them being thrown back by their own spells…they need to learn to coordinate with others as well… it is going to be slightly difficult for them, but I believe they can do it…_

A snore from across him snapped Remus out of his thoughts. He blinked to see Sirius slumped in his armchair, fast asleep. He had a thin line of drool dripping down his mouth. Remus sighed exasperatedly as he smiled.

_Well, at least one of us is resting slightly easy…_

____----____----____

The room was silent as the Weasley twins told the others what they had overheard from their parents.

“Our _brother,_ Percy, went to the Department of Muggle artifacts, to confront dad and abuse him and the whole family,” Fred began, snarling slightly.

“What?!” The others, except the twins, exclaimed.

“You guys have another brother?” Anusha asked curiously.

“Yes. He’s the third eldest in our family. And a total prick if we’ve ever seen one,” George said, sneering.

“What happened?” Anya asked confusedly.

“Basically, because he wanted to lick the asses of the ministry, he disowned us the moment he learned that we were supporting Dumbledore and his notions about You-know-who returning. Since then, he publicly denounced the family, picked up fights with father, and gave up slightly sensitive information to the press,” Fred spoke up angrily.

“Nothing our eldest brothers said to him worked. He just walked away from all of us, from mom, from dad. After everything they did for him, for all of us, he just walked off to live a ‘perfect life’ with his _precious_ ministry!” George exclaimed.

“ _That’s_ why we don’t want to join the ministry! We know that we can apply ourselves, but it’s not about what our interests are this time. This time, it is about loyalty to our family! He wasn’t loyal to us! The ministry isn’t loyal to families like ours! Why should we show loyalty to it when all it does is turn their backs on us every time?” Fred questioned to the whole room in general. The others were silent, agreeing with their point of view.

“I get your point, boys. But thinking about such things with anger isn’t always the solution, you know,” Hermione said gently.

“Well, this time, it is,” the twins said together.

“What do you guys want to do, then?” Anya asked curiously. The Weasley twins shared a look and smirked at the others. Anusha noticed Harry smile slightly and raised an eyebrow.

Anusha leaned in and whispered in his ears quietly, “You know what it is, right?”

Harry glanced to his side and nodded slightly.

“Yes, I do. In fact, I sponsored their work,” Harry responded quietly. Anusha smirked at him and leaned back.

“Are you ready for it?” Fred asked, waggling his eyebrows.

“Oh, out with it Weasley!” Anya exclaimed.

“We’re opening a joke shop!”  The boys announced together.

“What?!” Everyone, except Harry, exclaimed. Ginny and Hermione looked at them disbelievingly, while Ron had stars in his eyes as he looked at his brothers. Anusha turned her head to Harry.

“Seriously?!” She asked with a deadpan expression. Harry shrugged.

“What? They’re good at what they do. Of course, I sponsored them,” He responded, smirking at her. The twins shared a look before shrugging.

“Good career option for you two. You both can be good businessmen if you both get enough practice on negotiation,” Anusha said.

“Well, that’s not a bad idea. Besides, that can get us free pranking stuff anytime,” Anya said, smirking at them.

“Oh, you would! You guys would just tell us when you need it and we’ll send them to you!” George said, bowing his head at them in a grand gesture.

____----____----____

Harsh leaned back and sighed as he kept his quill down.

_This part’s done as well… I’m almost at the end of the challenge I kept for myself…_

He thought of his life and everything that happened in the past few months. Before the end of April, he had a set plan for his life. Complete his private schooling, work for the medical exams, and work under a Ministry appointed Healer’s training program, become a Healer and fulfill his dreams.

But everything changed. Everything on that fateful day changed. His parents’ death changed everything in him. He had somewhat lost his focus from almost everything in life. His only focus was on his studies. All he wanted to do was distract himself from the pain he felt and he almost succeeded. Well, almost. His books, his knowledge couldn’t provide him with a distraction in his sleep. Nightmares plagued him. Nightmares about that same day, repeating again and again and again…

If it weren’t for Raman, he would’ve been in a very different and a darker state of mind right now. He had him to thank for keeping him out of it. And also, it was Raman who got him closer to his dream. He knew that by going to Hogwarts and being under an apprenticeship program under Madame Pomfrey, he would be able to work under a Healer just after finishing his schooling, and he would be a Healer himself in no time.

His mind then wandered to the teenagers he met in the Diagon Alley. He had heard of Harry Potter and his friends, but he didn’t really care about his status and dismissed his stories. He had thought that he would be some arrogant, showoff who would rave on about his status all the time. But the scrawny, average-height fifteen-year-old defied his expectations completely. He was nothing but polite, quiet and, by all standards, an average, normal fifteen-year-old having fun with his two friends. The girl, Hermione, seemed really intelligent but bossy. The boy Ron, on the other hand, seemed the total opposite of her- relaxed, fun-loving and totally stupid sometimes.

But his mind lingered on Raman’s nieces- the Maurya twins. The heiresses of one of the oldest families in the world. No wonder that blonde boy got so scared of them. They had a higher social standing than anyone else in that country, except for the Princes, another Royale 15 family. They seemed really nice, not like those kinds of people wanting to pull ranks on anyone unless they had to. Both girls looked nearly the same, but they had their differences as well. Anya, for instance, seemed slightly more energetic than her twin, who was slightly more controlled than Anya. But both of them had great personalities, completing each other in every way.

He had always felt uncomfortable talking to others because they tended to turn snobbish and always tried using him when they learned how he was like. But this group of teenagers… they didn’t make him feel the same way as before. Every one of them, especially Anya, kept him comfortable enough, acknowledging him, listening to his statements and comments, and involving him in the conversation as well. For the first time, he felt… nice, interacting with people of his age group. He smiled slightly as he thought of what Anya had said to him when they parted.

_“Again, thanks for giving me the book! I’ll see you in the express, yeah?”_

It was the first time he felt… wanted. Involved. He felt good.

_Ma would’ve been thrilled that I finally made some friends… Papa would’ve been proud as well…_

Just the thought of his parents made him blink back tears.

 _I just miss you two so much…_ He thought, feeling his cheeks growing wet with tears. He silently wiped them and took a deep breath to control himself. He slumped back against the chair, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling, suddenly feeling his energy and slight happiness draining away and instead, his chest was filled with sadness and dull, throbbing pain.

He felt the wind coming from the window caress his face gently, making him close his eyes and imagine his mother caressing his face lovingly.

_I miss you so much Ma…_

**_Oh, my sweetheart…_ ** He heard his mother’s whisper, **_It’s going to be alright, I promise you…_ **

_Why did you and Papa have to go? I feel so alone…_

**_Oh, my darling, you’re never alone… I’m always there, in your heart… I’m always there… always…_ **

“Ma,” He murmured, a tear slipping down from his closed eyes as he drifted off to a nap.

Sighing, Raman stepped out of the room, wiping off the slight moisture from his eyes as he cleared his throat.

 _Abhimanyu, I promise you, whatever happens, I’ll keep your son safe… he’s under_ **_my_ ** _care now…_

____----____----____

September the 1st couldn’t come upon them fast enough. It was a busy morning where the whole household shook with Molly’s shouts, Ron, the Weasley twins’ and Harry’s groans as they were woken up early. Molly had them personally check their trunks and if they were packed and ready, only then did she allow them to come down for breakfast.

Everyone was finally down for breakfast. Molly decided to keep it simple and made them eggs and blueberry pancakes. As they ate their breakfast silently, Ginny glanced at the twins silently and looked away as one of them made contact with her. Anusha frowned confusedly.

“Ginny? Is something the problem?” Anusha asked curiously, as she kept her cutlery down.

The youngest Weasley’s eyes widened as she looked down on her plate, shaking her head.

“N-no, it’s nothing,” She said, too quickly, which made the girls frown at her suspiciously. Looking at their expressions made all the teenagers in the room shiver.

“I’ll never get used to them making the same expressions as their father,” Ron muttered to Harry and Hermione, who nodded in agreement.

“Don’t lie to us, Ginny. You can tell us,” Anya encouraged her.

Ginny opened her mouth once, before closing it and taking a deep breath.

“I’m sorry. I know it must be… a difficult subject for you two, but… could you tell us what happened to your mom?”

The twins’ expressions turned blank for a few long moments as they stared at Ginny for a long time. There was an awkward silence on the table. The adults looked at the twins, suddenly wary of their reaction.  

The twins looked down their plate for a few long moments, before looking up and nodding to each other.

“She…. She was murdered. Five years ago,” Anusha began, folding her hands on her lap and keeping an iron grip on her occlumency shields to keep her emotions under control.

“Why? Who would dare to kill the heiress of a _Royale 15_ family?” Sirius asked confusedly.

“There was this man, Rajeev Ballard. Our mother suspected that he was causing a lot of death and destruction of families- both muggle and wizarding. She had researched on him for nearly a year, before stumbling across evidence that he was involved in the trafficking of Occamy shells, addictive Potions, and women through various muggle routes and networks. When she was sure of his crimes, she decided to just send the evidence to the Auror department of the Indian Ministry of Magic,” Anusha explained, her voice quiet and controlled.

“But what she didn’t realize was that that man had easily infiltrated the Auror department through bribery. One of the senior Aurors, who was working under him, had caught hold of the file first and destroyed it. He then went to him and told him of the incident, which made him decide to get her killed. They lured her out under the pretense of a meeting with the Auror and captured her,” Anya continued, not looking at anyone.

“On our side, she had been missing for almost three days. All of us had searched for her everywhere. Papa had come back on the second day and had helped in the search as well. After almost a week, they stumbled upon a burnt building near the dockyard where they found her. Or, they found her remains,” Anusha bit out, gulping the lump in her throat and breathing in deeply.

“The reports showed signs of torture and a head injury that would’ve rendered her unconscious. They then lit the whole building up,” Anya said, her lower lip quivering slightly.

“You saw the reports?” Remus asked concernedly. The girls nodded to him.

“Found them in _Nana’s_ study. We were looking for one of his muggle encyclopedias and we found one of the files instead,” Anusha answered, her eyes red and wet. But she didn’t let one tear fall.

“Anyways, her funeral took place after a week of finding her remains. All of us were in a trance, especially Papa. Then, suddenly, one day, out of the blue, Raman _Mama_ came rushing into the room and told _Nana_ that they found out who her killer was. Papa came in almost immediately with a file in his hand. He told us that he had found a file on him and his crimes and a handwritten letter from Ma, stating that this was a copy of the files she had sent to the Auror department. If the evidence somehow ‘disappeared’ from the department, they were to be given to the Head of Department of Law Enforcement, Ajay Sharma,” Anya continued.

“The rest is history. Raman _Mama_ had wanted to make him suffer badly. In fact, even Papa and _Nana_ wanted the same, but for once, they ignored their desire and simply sent it up to Mr. Sharma. He saw the files. There was enough evidence to get him arrested and shipped to one of the worst jails of the Indian subcontinent. The Aurors caught him red-handed at finalizing a deal to sell an erumpent to a foreigner. He was arrested and in the custody of the Aurors. But that man was so confident that he could get out of it scot-free,” Anusha spoke up after a few moments of silence.

“There was already a case going on against him, but it wasn’t strong enough. Those files and his deal of selling an erumpent was all they had needed to get him behind the bars and in the same place, he had sent many others. We got the news of his death a few weeks later,” Anya finished, leaning back against her seat, her appetite suddenly lost. Everyone stared at the twins as they stared at their plates sullenly. The pain and sadness in their eyes were apparent.

“Well,” Molly spoke up after a few minutes of silence, “We’re against a schedule dearies! Come on now!” She said gently, ushering all the teenagers out of the hall, gently patting both twins on their back as they passed her. They looked at her and nodded gratefully.

For this time, it was Tonks and Mad-eye accompanying them. Sirius came along as well, in his animangus form, a dog, which had surprised and amused the hell out of the twins.

“I should’ve known,” Anusha said, smirking cheekily as she knelt down to pet his fur.

“I couldn’t have imagined him being any other animal other than a dog!” Anya said, chuckling to herself. Sirius the dog whined quietly, his tail waggling a little as he licked Anusha on the face.

“Hey! Don’t do that!” Anusha squealed, standing back up and cleaning her cheek with a handkerchief.

Half an hour later, the twins, along with the trio and the other Weasleys, had reached the King’s Cross station.

Everyone had unloaded their things, they went in. Attention was on them for a little while because of Mad-eye, but it soon turned to normal. Harry and Snuffles soon got inside the empty waiting hall to say their own goodbyes to each other. The others went ahead with Tonks, while Mad-eye waited outside the waiting room.

They all finally reached platform Nine.

“There’s your uncle!” Ron said, spotting him. The others looked in the direction to see Raman and Harsh coming towards them.

Tonks’ eyes widened as she saw a six-foot tall man with tanned skin, sharp, chiseled features, pale yellow-green eyes and thin lips. He wore a white shirt with a waistcoat and a dark blue jacket thrown on top with the same colored trousers.

Harsh’s eyes went straight to Anya, who smiled at him slightly. He smiled back, nodding at her and then everyone in general as he walked to them.

“Hello,” He greeted them all quietly, feeling slightly uncomfortable as he spotted another set of twins and a redheaded girl with them.

“Hello! These three are Ron’s siblings! These twins are Fred and George and that’s Ginny!” Anusha said, gesturing to them. She nodded and shook hands with them all.

“Hello,” He murmured, standing quietly.

Tonks’ full attention was on the twins’ uncle.

“Wow,” She uttered, her mouth hanging open. The teenagers shared an amused look with each other.

“Mrs. Weasley, Good morning,” their Mama greeted Molly with a smile.

“Good morning to you too, Mr. Acharya!”

Tonks looked at Molly dreamily, expecting her to introduce them as well. Molly shook her head at her with fond exasperation.

“And this is-”

“Dora,” Tonks practically sighed at him, making him raise his eyebrows slightly at her.

“- _Nymphadora_ Tonks,” Molly cut in, making Tonks glare at her, before smiling at Raman. He offered his hand for a shake. She shook it vigorously, feeling the huge hand engulf hers completely.

 _I can only imagine what those hands can do…_ She thought dreamily, her hair turning a slightly fiery red at the wild thought as she went on shaking his hand. The girls were laughing to themselves quietly at their _Mama’s_ slightly exasperated expression.

“Excuse me?” Raman prompted, breaking her out of her spell. She blinked back to reality, clearing her throat and pulling her hand away.

“Are you alright, Ms. Tonks?”

“Oh, please, do call me Dora. Or Tonks. Anything is fine,” The Metamorphous said, her hair turning slightly pink again, which again prompted him to raise his eyebrows.

“O-Okay, Tonks,” He said, trying out the name.

Just then, Harry walked up to them, having said his goodbyes to Sirius.

“Hello, Harsh, Raman,” He said, shaking hands with both of them with a small smile.

“Hello Harry,” Harsh responded to him, nodding at him.

“Come on guys! We need to take the seats as well,” Ginny urged, gesturing to her watch.

“Oh, yes! Would you look at the time! Come now, everyone! Line up!” Molly said. The teenagers all formed a group and stood in front of a wall right in between the platforms Nine and Ten. The girls, Raman and Harsh looked at Molly confusedly. She simply smiled at them.

“This is the entrance of Platform 934,” Molly announced. The twins’ eyes widened and they looked at the wall in front of them. They looked at her again.

“Well, all you have to do is walk straight into the wall. It’s a doorway to platform 934,” She explained to them.

“Oh,” the girls uttered.

“Let the others go first. See how they do it,” Molly said, gesturing the other teenagers to walk into the platform. First was Harry, who simply walked into the wall and went inside it. The girls, Harsh and Raman’s eyes widened in understanding.

“Now, go along!” Molly said as everyone had gone off.

They nodded. The twins went first, walking into the wall, closing their eyes as they did. They felt the barrier give way gently and they opened their eyes to find themselves on the other side with the trio, Fred, George, and Ginny. The girls looked back at the wall and smirked.

“Now that is a really good piece of magic,” Anya said, smirking to herself.   

“It is indeed,” Anusha said, looking around with interest.

Harsh came in, along with Raman and finally, Molly, with Mad-eye and Tonks. They walked around the wall to see the platform filled with loads of people, mostly students, with their parents.

“Come along now! It’s almost time! Get your trunks in the train,” Molly said, walking through the crowd briskly. The teens nodded and found the porter near the baggage carriage. They gave their things to him and he loaded them into the carriage. The twins decided to keep their owl, Athena, with them for the rest of the ride. Harsh decided to keep his eagle-owl, Aeolus, with him.

Just as Molly had predicted, the stationmaster blew his whistle, shouting ‘All aboard!’. It was time to say their goodbyes to them.

“Now, if you think you need something, anything, just write for it, I’ll send it, okay?” Molly said as she hugged Ginny.

“Alright, Mum!”

Harsh turned to his guardian, who smirked at him, before shaking his hand.

“Alright kid, take care. I’ll probably see you during Christmas. Maybe even come and visit you at Hogwarts! How does that sound?”

Harsh blinked and smiled back as he shook hands with the older man.

“That sounds good, Raman. I’ll write when it’s feasible for me,”

Raman felt his eyes sting slightly. He had grown fond of his ward in this short time and was sad to see him go.

“Come here, kid,” Raman murmured suddenly, giving over the urge and hugged him tightly. Harsh hugged him back just as tightly, leaning his head heavily against Raman’s shoulder, the warmth calming him slightly. Raman patted him on the back and pulled away reluctantly.

“Take care Harsh,” He said, patting his cheek in a fatherly gesture.

“You too, Raman,” Harsh responded, nodding to him.

The girls smiled as they watched their _Mama_ interact with Harsh. It was clear that they had grown comfortable with one another and it was difficult for them to handle their emotions.

They heard Molly clear her throat and looked to her. She had said her goodbyes to all of them and was now standing in front of them with a slightly sad smile on her face. The girls smiled back at her.

“You both take care, okay? Don’t hesitate to write to me if you want to talk, or want to let something out. I understand how things are for girls your age. I understand that you have your father there to help you, but some things are only to be between females. And also, since it is your first time in a boarding school, if there is anything that you both want, don’t hesitate to owl me, okay?” She said, pulling Anya into a tight hug first. Anya returned the hug with a chuckle, feeling comfortable and safe in the warm hug. She pulled away gently with a smile which was returned by the woman. It saddened Anya to leave the motherly Weasley Matriarch. Anya squeezed Molly’s hand gently and stepped away.

Molly then turned Anusha, who stepped to wrap her arms around her tightly, an action which was returned with equal fervor. The fifteen-year-old leaned her head against the older woman’s shoulder for a few moments, finding comfort in the embrace as she suddenly remembered her Ma. She closed her eyes shut briefly, committing the hug to her memory. She pulled back gently after a few minutes, smiling brightly at the Weasley Matriarch, who touched her cheek briefly and stepped away.

“We’ll see you again at Christmas again, so don’t get all teary eyed and sloppy. And remember _CONSTANT VIGILANCE!_ ” Moody snapped from behind Molly. The twins chuckled. Molly rolled her eyes exasperatedly. Trust Moody to ruin the emotional moment.

Next was Tonks, who shook hands with them and wished them luck.

“It sure is going to be quiet without you kids there! Take care of yourselves, okay? If there are boy issues, or even girl issues, you can talk to me, okay?” Tonks said, before leaning in close to the twins, who raised an eyebrow at her.

“Can I make a move on your hot uncle?” She whispered, waggling her eyebrows. The girls nearly burst out laughing but controlled themselves.

“Your decision, Tonks,” Anusha started.

“He won’t refuse,” Anya added.

“But, the problem is,” Anusha continued.

“He’s kind of having a very complicated situation going on,” Anya explained to her quietly.

“Is it a girl situation?”

“Kind of. He’s still hung up on her,” Anusha said softly. Tonks sighed and smiled at them.

“Alright. I’ll keep that in mind. After all, having him as an acquaintance won’t hurt,” Tonks said, winking at them.

“Sorry, Tonks,” Anya said, looking slightly guilty. Tonks shook her head at them.

“Hey, it’s alright! Don’t worry! I’ll find another way to pass my time!” She said, hugging each of them once and stepping back.

“Well, I guess I’ll see y’all during the hols’!” Tonks said, waving at them as she stepped back and turned to find her face nearly pressed against Raman’s chest. She froze on the spot, suddenly forgetting to step back. He looked down at her, his face scrunched up in confusion. He coughed politely to snap her from her daze.

“A-apologies…” She said, looking highly embarrassed as she stepped away from him, stumbling and nearly falling down, only to be caught by Raman, who grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her up slightly. The girls collectively face-palmed.

“Tonks,” Harry muttered, shaking his head at her.

“Sorry,” Tonks mumbled, her face bright red. He loosened his grip on her arms and she pulled away slightly to walk to her mentor Moody, who just shook his head at her.

“Go on now! Take your seats quickly!” Molly urged them. They nodded to her and boarded the train. As they stepped onto the train, they found a compartment just a few compartments away from the door which was empty and entered there. As they settled down on the berths, the train started moving.

“So long kids!” Tonks said, waving at them.

“Be careful!” Raman said loudly.

“Study hard!” Molly shouted.

“CONSTANT VIGILANCE!” Moody’s voice could be heard by everyone.

“Alastor!” Molly snapped, much to the amusement of the teens. They waved at the adults till they were mere specks.

Anusha sighed as she leaned back against her seat next to the window.

_Well, this is so not what I had expected for the end of holidays… This is going to be quite the adventure... the adventure of a lifetime…_

____----____----____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was the chapter?? Please give comments and kudos!!!


	10. Sortings, introductions, and musings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya people!! Surprise!! Another chapter! And this time, this is earlier than the chapters before... But I could complete the work, so... Here you go!! Enjoy!

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

**Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however, are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.**

 

_CHAPTER X_

After the train took off, Fred and George simply stood up and brushed themselves and moved to walk out of the compartment.

“Where are you two going?” Anusha asked confusedly.

“We’re going to find Lee Jordan!” They announced to them, going out of the compartment. The twins looked at the trio and Ginny confusedly.

“Lee Jordan is their best friend. They’ve been best friends since the first year. Lee has helped them pull off a lot of pranks on people,” Hermione explained, her eyes narrowing at the last part. She turned her head to Ron sharply, who was whaling in sandwiches his Mum had packed for him.

“Ron, we’re going to make sure that they won’t prank as much as they had done for all these years!”

Ron blinked at her, his eyes wide as he tried responding to her. But neither he nor the others could understand what he was saying. Hermione shook her head at him exasperatedly. She then glanced at her watch and gasped.

“Oh no! We’re going to be late for the council meeting, Ron! Come on!” Hermione said, standing up suddenly, startling everyone. She started walking towards the exit, but when she turned and saw Ron still seated and absorbed into eating, she huffed and pulled him forcefully by his arm.

“’Mione!” Ron whined as he was dragged away unceremoniously by the bushy-haired Gryffindor, much to the amusement of the girls, who were silently laughing at the scene. Ron shot them a grumpy look, to which they showed him their tongues playfully.

After they left, everyone settled comfortably. Anusha watched the sceneries that went past them through the window, Anya was engaged in a deep conversation with Ginny, Harsh was deeply engrossed in a book on healing, and Harry was taking a nap.

Anusha glanced at Harry and smiled slightly at seeing his slightly open mouth, head resting heavily against the headrest and soft snores coming from his mouth.

_At these moments it’s hard believing that he’s the Chosen One…  he acts like an average fifteen-year-old boy… he looks so calm right now…_

Still smiling, she turned back to watch the scenery from the window. She hadn’t noticed Ginny looking at her for a few moments. She had noticed her staring at Harry, but didn’t comment. Instead, she went back to speaking with Anya, who was telling her about the Indian education system.

After a while, the door to their compartment opened. The twins looked up to see a beautiful blonde girl and a tall, slightly stocky boy enter the compartment. Both of them were wearing their Hogwarts robes, but the girl wore a blue tie with the badge of a flying eagle sewn on the left side of her chest, while the boy wore a red tie and had a roaring lion on his crest, similar to that of Ginny and Harry’s.

“Neville, Luna!” Ginny exclaimed.

“Hello, Ginny,” the girl, ‘Luna’ said dreamily. The girls raised an eyebrow at her greeting.

“Hi, Ginny!” The boy, ‘Neville’ said with a smile on his face, “Can we sit with you? All the other compartments are filled.”

“Sure! Come on!” Ginny said, noticing Harry at that moment and pointedly nudging him from his sleep. He woke up, feeling slightly disoriented, but coming to his senses as he saw Neville.

“Hey, Neville! How are you, mate?” Harry asked jovially, standing up and shaking hands with him.

“I’m good Harry! How have you been?” He asked.

“Oh, good, very good!” Harry said, glancing at Luna curiously.

“Oh, this is Luna Lovegood! She’s in my year from Ravenclaw!” Ginny said, introducing them.

“Hello,” Harry greeted her politely.

“Hello Harry Potter,” Luna said, shaking his hand dazedly. Harry looked at her weirdly.

“Anyways,” Ginny began, after a few moments of awkward silence, “These are the Maurya twins- Anusha and Anya Maurya and this one here is Harsh Acharya,” Ginny said, gesturing to the twins and Harsh, who looked up from his book to notice two new people for the first time.

Neville’s eyes widened as he looked at the girls, who smiled a bit hesitatingly at him.

“Girls, Harsh, this is Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood.”

“Uhh, he-hello,” Neville said, a bit shyly, “nice meeting you.”

He extended a hand to Anusha, who looked at it for a moment, before smiling and shaking it.

“Hello,” Anusha said, nodding at him and Luna. Neville smiled, feeling slightly relaxed, while Luna gave her a dreamy smile.

“Hi!” Anya greeted him, shaking hands with him and Luna.

“Pleasure meeting you both,” Harsh said quietly, shaking hands with them both, after which, they settled in their seats comfortably. There was silence as they did their own work quietly before Neville decided to break the silence.

“I’ve read about you both. In the Daily Prophet. There was quite an article written on you both by Rita Skeeter,” He said hesitatingly.

“We’ve read the article as well,” Anusha said, sharing a look with Anya.

“It was… okay, to say the least,” Anya commented dryly.

“She sensationalized the article! All you two told her was that you were going to Hogwarts and were shopping on that day!” Harry exclaimed, sitting straighter in his seat.

“Leave it Harry. Don’t get agitated on that topic,” Anusha said gently.

“It’s not worth it, you know. We’re kind of used to it. Indian reporters aren’t any less than her, you know,” Anya said. Harry stared at the two girls for a second, before sighing and relaxing in his seat.

“What year are you three joining?” Neville asked curiously after a few moments.

“We’re joining the fifth year,” Anya answered.

“I’m joining the sixth year,” Harsh said.

“Wow! Okay,” Neville said, looking slightly awkward as he didn’t have anything else to say.

“Do you guys know about the houses?” Ginny asked, glancing at the twins and Harsh.

“We know, but I don’t think Harsh does,” Anusha said, looking at him.

“No, I don’t,” Harsh said, shaking his head.

“Okay. There is a sorting Hat which sorts you into one of the houses. There are four houses- Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. These four houses have an animal as their symbol. Each animal symbolizes the general personality that is found in the students. Like, Gryffindor’s symbol,” Ginny said, gesturing to her house crest, “is a roaring lion. That means that the students of Gryffindor are brave-hearted, strong and quite boisterous.”

Harry spoke up, “Slytherin has the symbol of a snake and the house color is green. That house symbolizes shrewdness, ambition, cunningness, and fraternity instincts.”

Luna continued, “Ravenclaw’s house symbol is a soaring eagle. It represents intelligence, conscientious attitude, originality, and creativity of the students. And Hufflepuff has the symbol of a badger, and represents hard-work, jolly attitude and basically happiness.”

Harsh nodded, absorbing in the knowledge.

“I like the Hufflepuffs. They have less number of Nargles around them,” Luna stated dreamily, looking in the air. The twins and Harsh looked at her confusedly.

“Nargles?” Anusha asked.

“Oh yes. They’re mischievous creatures, you see. I can see them. That’s why I wear this,” Luna said, proudly showing off her pendant, which had a bottlecap hanging off it.

“It keeps the Nargles away,” she explained.

“I thought the Nargles were extinct,” Harsh said curiously.

“Oh no! They’re not. They still exist very much. Only a few people can see it, like me and my dad,” Luna said, smiling to herself, as she looked into the air. The twins blinked at her for a few moments, before sharing a look with each other. They shrugged after a few moments. They had met people like Luna a few times, so they weren’t weirded out by her. They then turned back to see Harsh lost in thought.

“Hey,” Anusha called out. He looked up in surprise.   

“You don’t have to think about which house you’re going to go in. Just be calm. You’ll be sorted into the house which suits you the best,” Anya said, smiling gently. Harsh smiled back and nodded.

“Thank you for telling me, Ginny,” Harsh said.

“You’re welcome!”

____----____----____

It was well after six o’ clock when they finally reached Hogsmeade Station. The station was quickly filled with students to the brim as the old ones stepped down and the new ones looked around in wonder, only to be ushered together by Professor Flitwick.

“Come on. We’ve to head straight to the Great Hall,” Hermione said to the others as they all stepped down the coach.

“But what about our luggage?” Anya asked confusedly.

“It would directly get transported to our dormitories. Now come on!” Hermione exclaimed.

“But we haven’t even been sorted!” Anusha exclaimed.

“Then I suggest you both follow me,” came Professor McGonagall’s voice from behind them. All of them turned to find the older woman standing there, with her emerald teaching robes, a pointed hat on her head and glasses perched low on her nose.

“Professor McGonagall,” The teens all greeted her at once. She nodded to them.

“Now, if you three would follow me. The rest of you may proceed to the Great Hall,” McGonagall instructed, turning to the other side and walking briskly, the three new students following her in their new school robes, while the rest of them went the other way.

“Best of luck, you guys!” Ginny called out as they walked on.

“All of you, be sure to be in Gryffindor!” Ron’s voice could be heard clearly.

“Ron!” Hermione snapped at him exasperatedly.

“Now, you three will be sorted separately. It is a standard procedure for transfer students. Come then. it should be done before the first years are to enter the hall,” McGonagall said, leading them to a carriage that would take them to the castle through a shortcut. The shortcut boasted yet another magnificent view of the medieval castle. Near every door, every window was a torch that illuminated in a very beautiful way.

“Wow,” Anya murmured, feeling a little overwhelmed as they neared the school.

Soon, they were at the entrance of the school. They got out of the carriage and looked around curiously.

“Hurry now you three. We need to get you sorted before the first years reach the school,” Minerva said, leading them inside the school and taking a few turns to get to Professor Flitwick’s office quickly.

As they entered the office, they found Professor Flitwick, along with Professor Sprout, Headmaster and Severus present there. The Sorting Hat sat there on the table, looking almost inanimate, except it looked as though the folds on the hat looked like his eyes and mouth. They smiled at their father, who nodded at them with a hint of a smirk on his face.  

“Good evening, Professors, Headmaster,” They said together.

“Good evening to you all!” Albus said jovially, clapping his hands, “Welcome to Hogwarts! I trust you had a satisfying journey?”

“Yes sir, thank you,” Harsh responded quietly as they looked around the office curiously. Professor Flitwick’s office was like a mini-library in itself, which had some good first edition tomes of Charms mostly, some Arithmancy books, Ancient Runes, Transfiguration and Potions. Harsh’s eye caught the name of one of the books and his eyes widened as he stepped closer to the shelves to examine the book.

“Whoa,” Anusha murmured, reading the titles of the tomes.

“I know, right?” Anya commented.

They snapped out of their reverie as they heard Severus cough behind them.

“Well, come now. We don’t have a lot of time,” He said, gesturing to the chair kept at the center of the room.

The three of them shared a look and nodded.

“Now, Mr. Acharya, you’ll be sorted first,” Albus said, gesturing him to sit down. Harsh nodded and sat down, gulping slightly as Minerva took the Hat and placed it on his head. Almost immediately, it came to life.

Harsh felt a… presence, in his mind. He blinked a few times as he felt this presence fill his mind and body.

 _“Ah! Well, well, we have quite the unique case here…”_ A deep, throaty voice murmured in his head, _“Quiet, hardworking, intelligent, oh, very intelligent! Ambitious as well! Very ambitious indeed! You have your life decided for yourself, haven’t you? Even though you’ve been struck with the tragic loss of your parents…”_ The hat commented thoughtfully, which made Harsh bristle and clench his fists slightly.

_“Anyway, the question is where to put you? In Ravenclaw, where you’ll thrive with the intelligent, or in Slytherin, where you’ll be surrounded by people of ambition? Do you have a choice, young man?”_

“No. I do not,” Harsh responded quietly.

 _“Well, then it is entirely up to me… now that I notice, you do not have the traits that the House of Snakes represents… so better be…_ Ravenclaw!” The hat spoke out loud. The sixteen-year-old, now a Ravenclaw, blinked in surprise. He looked at Professor Flitwick, now his head of the house, who seemed to be brimming with pride. At his new student. He smiled and nodded at him. He looked down to see his tie, colored in blue stripes and a crest of a soaring eagle on the left of his uniform.

“Congratulations, my boy! I’m sure the House of Ravenclaw would be proud to have a student in their ranks!” Albus exclaimed happily, looking at Fillius, who nodded happily.

“I couldn’t have imagined him anywhere else,” Anusha murmured to her twin, who nodded with a smile as she watched Professor McGonagall take the hat off his head. He stood up from his seat and walked to stand beside her.

“Congratulations,” The twins murmured to him. He smiled and nodded.

“Thank you.”

“Now,” the girls’ father said, “It’s your turn.”

The girls nodded. Anya stepped forward and sat down on the chair. She took in a deep breath as the hat was placed on top of her head. She felt a presence inside her head that she couldn’t block at all. She frowned.

 _“Ah, would you look at that? A Snape… The last Snape that I sorted was your father… that was quite the difficult decision if I remember correctly… now let’s see here… bold, determined, skilled… more ‘emotional’ as your sister puts it… Quite mischievous too, aren’t we? Very well, I just know where to put you…_ Gryffindor!” The hat exclaimed out loud. She blinked a little and looked up to see her father smirking at her proudly. Professor McGonagall smiled at her. Anya looked down to find the red striped tie and crest of a roaring lion on the left side of her uniform. She stood up from her seat as Professor McGonagall, her head of the house, took off the hat from her head.

“Congratulations, Anya. You’re one of the lions now,” Severus murmured, cupping her cheek and kissing her forehead.

“Thanks, Papa,” She responded, smiling at him, before pulling back slightly and going to hug her twin.

“Gryffindor, huh? Congratulations, sis,” Anusha murmured in her twin’s ear.

“Thanks, sis,” Anya murmured, before pulling back and standing beside Harsh. Severus looked back to Anusha and gestured her towards the chair.

The hat on top of her head felt odd but light. But the presence in her mind felt heavy. She couldn’t block it, nor could she stop it from reading her mind.

 _Another Snape! You’re similar to your sister and yet… I find you’re more similar to your father than your twin… the fraternal instincts, slightly shrewder than your twin, cautious of your surroundings… But my, oh my, aren’t you mischievous as well? There’s no doubt in my mind about it! Better be…_ Slytherin!”

Anusha opened her eyes and smiled at her father, who smirked at her proudly. Anya smiled and nodded at her.

“Welcome to Slytherin, Ms. Maurya-Snape,” Severus said, patting her cheek and kissing her on the forehead as well.

“Couldn’t have expected you anywhere else, sis,” Anya said, hugging her as she walked to her.

“Congratulations to you three! I’m sure each of you will make your house proud!” Albus said, his eyes twinkling at the three students standing before him.

“Yes, this is an occasion to mark, but for now, let us all go to the hall. It’s getting slightly late,” Minerva said, gesturing everyone to the door. They nodded and started filing out of the room. Only Severus and the girls remained behind.

“We’ll be out in a moment,” Severus said to his employer. Albus looked at him for a moment and nodded.

“Of course, my boy,” Albus answered, as he went and closed the door behind him.

It was only then that Severus was able to relax and smirk at them both. They smirked and hugged him tightly. He chuckled and embraced them.

“I’m proud of you two so much,” He murmured to them softly.

“Now that you both have been sorted into your respective houses, I expect you both to be on your best behavior. I want absolutely NO detentions in your record, is it clear? If I find you both getting a detention from any professor, it would mean a detention from me as well,” Severus explained, nodding as he watched his daughters’ expressions turn distasteful.

The girls shared a distasteful look with each other.

“Yes sir,” Anusha said.

“We understand,” Anya nodded.

“Good. Now, another thing, and tell Harsh about this as well. Since you three are directly associated with the Mauryas, I need you to be careful around Umbridge. She may look and sound stupid, but she is here to fulfill an agenda. That I am sure of. So, be careful,” He said, cupping their faces softly.

“Yes, Papa,” They said together. He smiled at them, before kissing their foreheads and pulling away.

“Now, let’s go. It’s time for the sorting,” Severus said, gesturing them towards the door.

They stepped out of the door to find the others still waiting for them.

“Come now. If we don’t hurry, Madame Umbridge would take it upon herself to look for us,” Minerva said distastefully.

The twins chuckled and walked with the professors till they reached a corridor.

“Now you three,” Minerva whispered, “Go through that door quickly because it’s going to be another few minutes till the first year students enter.”

The three of them nodded and separated from the professors, who entered the staff corridor.

“Harsh,” Anya murmured to the boy beside her. He looked down at her curiously.

“You’ve met Umbridge?”

Harsh’s face crunched in slight distaste.

“Yes. She was very… happy, to meet Raman, as she went on stating that through the whole meeting,” Harsh replied.

“That bad huh?”

He simply nodded.

“Yes. That bad,” He said.

“Okay, I just wanted to say to be careful around her. Papa says she has a deeper, darker agenda to fulfill. So, be careful, okay?”

“Alright. Thanks for the warning,” Harsh murmured just before they entered the hall. All of them stopped just at the entrance to take a deep breath. They nodded to each other before entering the hall.

The Hall was filled with rows of students who were chattering and laughing and sharing their experiences with their friends. They spotted Harry and the others, who smiled at them.

“Harsh got into Ravenclaw!”

“Wow! He must be really good at his studies!”

They finally seemed to notice the twins and their eyes widened in shock as they saw Anusha wearing Slytherin colors and Anya wearing Gryffindor colors.

“Oh Merlin, of all the houses they had to be sorted in, they got sorted in two rival houses!” Hermione groaned.

“This is going to be an eventful year,” Harry commented, staring at the three as they went to sit in their respective houses. Harsh went and sat beside Luna, who smiled at him dreamily. He nodded to her and looked in front of him to find a few of the students staring at him. He blinked, feeling slightly uncomfortable as they stared at him.

“Hello!” One of them said, extending a hand in his direction, “You must be a transfer student! I’m Terry Boot, Fifth year Ravenclaw and prefect!”

“Hello,” Harsh responded to him quietly, shaking his hand, “I’m Harsh. Harsh Acharya.”

“An Indian huh? Hey, Padma!” Terry called out to a beautiful Indian girl a few seats down from them. She turned to his voice.

“Yes, Terry?” She asked.

“You have a fellow Indian here!” He said, pointing to him. Her eyebrows raised as she looked to him.

“Hello! I’m Padma Patil!” She said extending her hand to him.

“I’m Harsh Acharya,” He said, shaking her hand.

Anya came and sat beside Ginny, who had saved a spot for her. She looked over at Harsh to see him mingling with his housemates and smiled.

Anusha walked down the Slytherin row as she looked for a place to sit and found one right next to a girl with blonde hair, sharp grayish-green eyes, a small pointed nose, and thin lips. Her jawline was thin, sharp and slightly pointy. She looked chillingly beautiful. Aside from the usual dress robes, she had a green and silver badge on her left side just below her shoulder, which had the word _‘P’_ etched on it. She was talking to another girl with a small, but round face, dark blue eyes, a small pointed nose, and small lips.

“Excuse me?” Anusha called out softly. She and her friend, and that part of the table looked at her curiously. Anusha watched their eyes widen slightly as they stare at her.

“That’s Anusha Maurya!” One of the girls sitting across them whispered.

“One of the Maurya Heiresses!”

“One of the _Royale 15!_ ” Another whispered.

Anusha resisted the urge to sigh and instead look at the blond- haired girl.

“Is the seat taken?” She asked politely. The girl blinked and shook her head.

“No. Please, sit,” The girl said, shifting slightly to give her space.

“Thank you.”

As she sat down, the blonde-haired girl looked over to her curiously.

“Sorry if I’m wrong, but you’re Anusha Maurya, right?” the girl asked her, the students in the area listening carefully. Anusha stared into the girl’s eyes for a few moments before she smirked slightly.

“Yes, yes I am,” She answered, nodding to her, ignoring the murmurs that swept through the table as the students passed it through the whole house about the newest piece of gossip.

“Um, okay. Welcome to Slytherin! I’m Daphne Greengrass, fifth-year Prefect,” She said, holding out her hand with a smile. Anusha smiled at her and shook her hand.

“Nice meeting you,” She said, nodding to her, thinking about where she had heard the name ‘Greengrass’ before.

“This is my best friend, Tracy Davis, fellow fifth year,” Daphne said, gesturing to the girl beside her.

“Hi!” Tracy said, shaking Anusha’s hand with a smile.

“Hello,” Anusha said, smiling and nodding to her. Daphne looked across them to see the girl becoming impatient and sighed.

“That’s-” Daphne started, but the girl beat her to it.

“I’m Pansy Parkinson! I’m a prefect too!” The girl said, holding out her hand. Anusha looked at her for a moment, before she shook it politely and smiled at her.

“Beside her is Millicent Bulstrode,” Daphne gestured to a heavy set girl. The girl nodded to her.

“That is Blaise Zabini,” She said, gesturing to the tanned Italian boy sitting beside Pansy. He waved casually at her. She raised her eyebrows at him, before smirking and waving back at him.

_He seems casual…_

“Beside him is Theodore Nott,” She gestured to the quiet looking boy with dark blue eyes. He nodded and said a quiet ‘hello’.

“Hello,” She replied back with a nod.

“And there’s Draco Malfoy, fellow fifth-year prefect, with his… bodyguards, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle,” Daphne said, gesturing to the trio sitting a few seats down, listening to the conversation intently.

“I know. Heir Malfoy and I have met before,” Anusha said, looking at Draco intensely. Draco simply gulped and nodded.

“Really? Did you meet her before Drake? Why didn’t you tell me?!” Pansy exclaimed loudly, catching the attention of the whole table. Anusha stared at the girl weirdly for a few seconds.

_What the hell?!So what if he didn’t tell her that he and I met? Isn’t she being a little bit too… vocal about it?_

Anusha glanced at Daphne, who sighed exasperatedly. Daphne noticed her staring at her weirdly and just murmured, “They’re betrothed. Since their birth.”

Anusha’s eyes widened in understanding.

_So she’s simply showing off, marking her territory, in a way…_

She then glanced at Draco, who tired his hardest not to grimace at the girl, but he didn’t comment at all.

“We met in Diagon Alley. I was shopping with my mother when we crossed paths,” Draco explained, leaving out the part about the confrontation with the trio.

“Yes. How is your mother, by the way?” Anusha asked, calm as you please.

“She’s good. Are your Grandparents well?” He asked conversationally.

“Yes, they are. Thank you,” Anusha replied. Draco then seemed to look around.

“I don’t seem to see your twin with you. Is she sorted into a different house?” He asked curiously.

“Yes. She got sorted into Gryffindor,” Anusha said normally.

The conversations suddenly stopped as the students in the area stopped to stare at her. Daphne and the other fifth years raised their eyebrows.

“Oh boy,” Tracy muttered from beside her.

“This is gonna be an interesting year,” Blaise commented with a smirk.

“W-well,” Draco began, “that’s…”

“Weird!” Pansy squealed, staring at her strangely.

“And why is that _weird_ , Heiress Parkinson?” Anusha asked promptly, looking at her calmly. Pansy spluttered, suddenly remembering who she was speaking to.

“Anusha, it’s never happened before. No family has ever had their heirs or heiresses sorted into two opposite houses like Gryffindor and Slytherin. Well, with the exception of Sirius Black and his brother Regulus Black, of course,” Daphne explained.

“Oh,” Anusha uttered and dropped it, signaling the end of the topic.

She then turned to look at her twin, who was sitting beside Ginny and chatting with the others. They turned their heads to look at Anusha and smiled. Anusha smirked back, while the others looked on at the interaction with wide eyes. They went back to their conversation as Anusha turned back to the group sitting there.

Daphne looked back at Anusha and smiled.

 _Well, she’s certainly a unique case,_ _and quite beautiful as well…_  Daphne thought as she let her eyes wander over the Indian’s face. Anusha noticed her staring at her and blinked.

“What?” She murmured confusedly.

“Nothing,” Daphne answered promptly, turning her head to her plate and smirking to herself.

“Wait, why are you okay with your twin being in _Gryffindor_ , of all the houses?” Pansy asked, sneering at the last part. Anusha blinked at her.

“Why shouldn’t I be okay with it? She’s my sister. I share my blood with her. We live in the same family. Why should I start being hostile to her now that we’re in different houses?”

Once again, Pansy had no answer to that.

Just then, the first year students entered, ready to be sorted. They looked around uncomfortably as everyone’s eyes were on them. Some of them were awestruck just by looking at the ceiling. They went straight to the front of the hall, to the sorting hat, that was sitting on the stool. Professor McGonagall stood beside the stool, looking prim and pristine as always. Most of them looked at the Hat curiously.

The hat went straight, and to the first years’ surprise, it started singing,

 **_*In times of old when I was new And Hogwarts barely started_ ** **_  
_ ** **_The founders of our noble school_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Thought never to be parted: United by a common goal,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_They had the selfsame yearning,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_To make the world’s best magic school_ ** **_  
_ ** **_And pass along their learning._ ** **_  
_ ** **_ʹTogether we will build and teach!_ ** **_  
_ ** **_ʹThe four good friends decided_ ** **_  
_ ** **_And never did they dream that they_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Might someday be divided,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_For were there such friends anywhere_ ** **_  
_ ** **_As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Unless it was the second pair_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_So how could it have gone so wrong?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_How could such friendships fail?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Why I was there and so can tell_ ** **_  
_ ** **_The whole sad, sorry tale._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Said Slytherin,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_ʹWe’ll teach just those_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Whose ancestry is purest.ʹ_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Said Ravenclaw, ʹWe’ll teach those whose_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Intelligence is surest.ʹ_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Said Gryffindor, ʹWe’ll teach all those_ ** **_  
_ ** **_With brave deeds to their name,ʹ_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Said Hufflepuff, ‘Til teach the lot_ ** **_  
_ ** **_And treat them just the same.ʹ_ ** **_  
_ ** **_These differences caused little strife_ ** **_  
_ ** **_When first they came to light,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_For each of the four founders had_ ** **_  
_ ** **_A house in which they might_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Take only those they wanted, so,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_For instance, Slytherin_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Took only pure‐blood wizards_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Of great cunning, just like him,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_And only those of sharpest mind_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Were taught by Ravenclaw_ ** **_  
_ ** **_While the bravest and the boldest_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Went to daring Gryffindor._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest_ ** **_  
_ ** **_And taught them all she knew,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Thus the houses and their founders_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Retained friendships firm and true._ ** **_  
_ ** **_So Hogwarts worked in harmony_ ** **_  
_ ** **_For several happy years,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_But then discord crept among us_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Feeding on our faults and fears._ ** **_  
_ ** **_The houses that, like pillars four,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Had once held up our school,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Now turned upon each other and,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Divided, sought to rule._ ** **_  
_ ** **_And for a while, it seemed the school_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Must meet an early end,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_What with dueling and with fighting_ ** **_  
_ ** **_And the clash of friend on friend_ ** **_  
_ ** **_And at last, there came a morning_ ** **_  
_ ** **_When old Slytherin departed_ ** **_  
_ ** **_And though the fighting then died out_ ** **_  
_ ** **_He left us quite downhearted._ ** **_  
_ ** **_And never since the founders four_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Were whittled down to three_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Have the houses been united_ ** **_  
_ ** **_As they once were meant to be._ ** **_  
_ ** **_And now the Sorting Hat is here_ ** **_  
_ ** **_And you all know the score:_ ** **_  
_ ** **_I sort you into houses_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Because that is what I’m for,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_But this year I’ll go further,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Listen closely to my song:_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Though condemned I am to split you_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Still, I worry that its wrong,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Though I must fulfill my duty_ ** **_  
_ ** **_And must quarter every year_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Still, I wonder whether Sorting_ ** **_  
_ ** **_May not bring the end I fear._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_The warning history shows,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_For our Hogwarts is in danger_ ** **_  
_ ** **_From external, deadly foes_ ** **_  
_ ** **_And we must unite inside her_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Or we’ll crumble from within_ ** **_  
_ ** **_I have told you, I have warned you…_ ** **_  
_ ** ****_Let the Sorting now begin._

Applause sounded through the Hall, though it was punctured with whispers and talks. Anusha looked around curiously.

“The sorting hat has never given advice before. This is the first time, I think, that it has done so.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Well, it is going to be quite awkward for Potter, seeing as he declared that he has seen You-know-who,” Tracy whispered.

Daphne continued, “That’s how all the conspiracies started. Fudge, who had been supporting Potter, had suddenly turned and started accusing him of spreading mass-panic and fear amongst the population, claiming that he was doing it for ‘publicity and attention’. And on top of that, he started blaming Dumbledore too, as he was supporting Potter’s notions. He started taking away power from Dumbledore, outvoting him from ICW, making him forcefully retire from being Wizangamot’s Warlord. There have also been talks of the ministry stripping off his Order of Merlin-first class. Right now, the only thing that keeps him somehow connected to the public is the position of Headmaster.”

Anusha hummed.

“I read about all this, you know, before coming here. And I’ve been told the rest by Harry and the others,” Anusha said.

“You know Potter personally?” Daphne muttered to Anusha, looking at her with a curious expression. Anusha sighed and chuckled to herself.

“Yes. It’s actually a long story. But yeah, we know him personally,” Anusha murmured back. Daphne hummed as she stared at Anusha for a few more moments, before turning her attention to the sorting.

____----____----____

The twins had never seen such a wide variety of food before and they were more than happy to tuck in.

Dumbledore stood up from his seat and went to the Podium after the supper had ended.

“Good evening children,” He began, “Now, we have two changes in staffing this year. We’re pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who’ll be taking Care-of Magical Creatures, while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave.”

Anusha glanced at the Gryffindor table to see the trio and the others frowning in confusion and concern. She raised an eyebrow confusedly, before focusing on the speech again.

“We also wish to welcome our new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge,” He continued. The girls could see their father control his annoyed expression at that announcement. They watched as he and McGonagall turn their heads slowly towards her when she giggled creepily. The twins looked at the new professor, who was, as Tonks aptly put it, ‘A toad in a Pink tutu’. She had a fat round face with bright blue eyes, a small pointy nose and lips which were laced with too much pink lipstick. Gods, she did look very disgusting.

They shared a look with each other.

 _“What a creepy woman,”_ Anusha commented.

 _“Exactly sis,”_ Anya agreed.

Anusha noticed the Slytherins not listening to Dumbledore’s speech, but didn’t comment, instead opting to ask later.

____----____----____

“And I’m sure that you’ll all join me in wishing the professor good luck,” Albus said, “Now, as usual, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you-”

“Hem-Hem,” came a pretentious throat-clearing. Right in the middle of the speech. Severus felt his eyes widen as he heard it.

 _What the fuck?!_ Was his first thought as he saw Dumbledore turn his head slightly to the woman beside him with a questioning look.

He glanced at Minerva, who had the same wide-eyed expression on her face, before turning to look at the woman. The pink-clad woman had stood up slowly, but confidently and she went at the front to stand beside Albus, who stared down at the woman with a speechless expression.

**_*“Thank you so much, headmaster, for those kind words of welcome. And how nice to see all your happy faces smiling up at me. I’m sure we’ll all going to be very good friends.”_ **

Minerva and Severus shared a disappointed expression as they heard her speech.

_If that is the way she’s going to make her introductions, then these children are going to eat her alive…_

“That’s likely,” the Weasley twins commented boldly, who were sitting in the Gryffindor table.

Umbridge heard it too, for her gaze lingered at the Weasley twins. She continued, * **_“The ministry of magic has always considered the education of witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Although each headmaster and headmistress has brought something new to this historic school,”_ ** she looked at Dumbledore and smiled. He nodded his head in thanks, albeit mockingly, Severus noted, **_“ progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what can be perfected, and prune practices that ought to be…prohibited,”*_ ** She finished the last part in a whisper, and giggled in that creepy voice.

She walked back to her seat, and Albus started clapping, though it was forced and punctured with murmurs and whispers.

“Thank you, Professor Umbridge, that really was illuminating. Now Mr. Filch has asked me to remind…”

The long glance that he shared with Minerva confirmed the one thing they feared of.

_The ministry is controlling Hogwarts…_

____----____----____

“Illuminating? What a load of waffle,” Anusha heard Ron mumble to the others. The twins shared a look of exasperation.

 _“Sis, it is going to be a fun year at Hogwarts, isn’t it?”_  Anya said, through their mental connection, while Hermione could be heard saying, “The Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts.”

_“Yup, Such a nice time to drop in, right? Why does trouble have to follow us now?”_

_“You know, Papa is right; we are trouble magnets, the two of us.”_

_“So true sis. So true…”_

“Anusha?” Daphne’s voice came from beside her.

Anusha blinked in surprise and turned to find the blonde-haired girl looking at her weirdly.

“What?”

“You were kind of lost there for a second. And I noticed you staring at your sister. Is everything alright?”

“Y-yes. Everything’s fine. Just thinking about the speech, that’s all,” Anusha answered.

“Oh,” Daphne said, nodding.

“Are you guys not huge fans of Dumbledore? I noticed that no one was listening to his speech. At least no one from this house.”

“Yeah. About that. Students here don’t like Dumbledore much. Some of them are from the Death Eater families, so natural obvious dislike for him, as ingrained into their heads, or maybe because they feel that he was the reason their family members went into Azkaban. The others feel that he’s… partial to the Gryffindors and the other houses. That _is_ kind of… right, you know. Most of the time, it is Professor Snape who resolves the house problems on his own. Oh, and Professor Severus Snape is our Head of House. He’s sitting right beside Professor McGonagall, the one with the pointy witch hat.”

“I know. He was there when I and my sister were to be sorted.”

“Good, then. How did you find him to be?”

“Quiet, strict, severe, no-nonsense type. He was also very intense and a little intimidating.”

Daphne chuckled.

“Well, most of the students find him to be quite scary. He’s called many names, you know, like the Dungeon bat, Git, and almost every student from the three houses hate him for being partial to us. Idiots,” Daphne said bitterly. Anusha looked up at her, feeling saddened and quite angry at that.

Tracy continued quietly, “Little do they understand that he’s just supporting us, looking out for us because hardly any teachers do. The other heads are too busy justifying their houses and hence the blame comes on us; the other teachers just ignore us; they hardly listen. Only Professor Snape and Professor Sinistra look out for us, because they’re Slytherins and they have experienced Prejudice and that too, at the brink of the first war. So they are the only ones in the school, who actually understand what we go through every day.

“You know Anusha, whenever there’s a meeting in the common for all the new first years, he makes it clear that he himself a half-blood. It is a silent suggestion, a small ray of hope for those Half-bloods and three-fourths, who think they’re alone in a sea full of purebloods. He makes a silent call out to them that he’s always there to help anyone who needs it,” She said with a small smile on her face. Anusha said nothing but looked down at her plate as she thought.

_Did Papa really go through this shit for the past what, sixteen years? He never really told us what the situation was like here. Such prejudice against him, and he had to cope with it by himself for more than a decade. But no more…_

“Come on,” Daphne said, pulling her out of her thoughts. She blinked and stood up.

“Yeah alright,” Anusha said, as she walked behind Daphne, who rounded all the first years and led them towards the doors.

“You really are a very long way from home, right?” Theo asked, actually speaking for the first time. Anusha blinked at him in surprise.

“Yes, umm, I am. And this is the first time I’ve been away from home in a long time,” She answered him.

The others nodded in understanding.

She looked around for her sister and found her with their friends talking animatedly as they went out of the Great hall.

 _“Hey, sis?”_ Anusha called out silently through their mental connection.

 _“Anusha,”_ Anya responded to her, finding her almost immediately in the crowd and smiled at her.

 _“Talk to you in the dorms?”_ Anusha asked, raising her eyebrow at her.

 _“Yup,”_ Anya said with a smile. Anusha smiled back at her.

 _“Alright then, see ya,”_ Anusha said, waving at her.

 _“Yup sis,”_ Anya waved back as they went in opposite directions. Anusha smirked to herself before looking up and seeing Daphne smirking at her.

“You both are really close, aren’t you?” She asked. Anusha shrugged.

“We’ve always been together, Daphne. Ever since our conception.  Of course we’re close,” Anusha said.

“I just hope you don’t share the common room password with her,” Daphne said. Anusha smirked at her cheekily, which made Daphne raise her eyebrows at her.

“Oh, you won’t have any complaints on that part,” Anusha murmured to her as they walked ahead.

____----____----____

The trio plus Anya trudged to the Gryffindor common room. Hermione led the first years, speaking about the portraits and the pathways all along the way, much to the amusement of the others.

“She was meant to be a prefect,” Anya whispered to Ginny, who giggled and nodded.

“Remember your passwords for entering the common room. It changes once every month, so remember to ask the prefects at the end of every month. Right now, the password is- _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_ ,” Hermione spoke aloud as they stood in front of the portrait of the Gryffindor tower.

“Correct,” Was all the lady mumbled and the door swung open.

The Gryffindor common room was a very cozy place to be in. The theme seemed to be red, different shades of red, which instilled a feeling of warmth inside her. There were several armchairs and sofas arranged in the large room. There were a huge fireplace and a large couch in front of it, which warmed the room completely.

“Wow,” Anya murmured, looking around curiously.

“This is the Gryffindor common room. You can spend your free time here. This is your own personal space. Of course, you aren’t allowed to tell the common room passwords to anyone outside of the house. The girls’ dormitories are to the left and the boys’ are to the right. You will find your belongings in your respective common rooms. Have a lovely evening and all the best for your school life!” Hermione finished. The first years dispersed, some of them opting to go to their dormitories, while the others looked around the common room.

“Nicely handled, Hermione!” Ginny said.

“Really? I thought I was rather fast and rambling to myself!” Hermione said, almost muttering to herself, much to the amusement to the two others, who just looked at each other and shook their heads.

“Hey, Hermione!” A voice came from the couches. The three girls turned their heads to see an Indian girl sitting with a blonde-haired girl, waving at them.

“Hi, Parvati!” Hermione waved back, pulling Anya and Ginny with her as she walked to them.

“Looks like you nicely handled the firsties!” the girl, Parvati said, smiling at her.

“Yeah. I think so,” Hermione said, nodding and started chatting with the girl, while the blonde-haired girl just sat there, staring at Anya for a while, making her feeling uncomfortable.

“Aren’t you one of the Maurya twins?” The blonde-haired girl asked loudly, catching the attention of most of the people in the common room.

“ _One of the Mauryas!”_

_“Oh, the Royale 15 family?”_

_“Yes, that one!”_

Murmurs swept throughout the common room as they turned their attention to them. All eyes were on them as they waited for Anya’s answer.

Anya resisted the urge to sigh tiredly and rub her face.

_Seriously, some people never fail to irritate me…_

“Yes. I’m Anya Maurya and my twin is Anusha Maurya, one of the Mauryas,” Anya replied, almost tiredly. Harry looked at her sympathetically, understanding how she felt.

“So, you mean, you’re from _the_ Maurya family. The one. Like from the _Royale 15_?” The girl pressed on.

Anya nodded tiredly.

“Yes, I am,” She answered. Murmurs swept throughout the room.

“Oh! Hello! I’m Lavender Brown!” The girl exclaimed, literally thrusting out her hand. Anya blinked at her for a few moments, before shaking her hand politely.

“H-Hello,” Anya greeted her, feeling slightly awkward.

“This is Parvati Patil, Anya. She’s a fellow prefect from the fifth year. Parvati, this is Anya Maurya,” Hermione introduced them.

“Hello! Nice meeting you!” Parvati exclaimed, shaking her hand.

“Nice meeting you too,” Anya said, nodding to her.

“You said that you have a twin. She wasn’t sorted into Gryffindor?” Parvati asked.

“No, she wasn’t.”

“Which house did she go to?” Lavender asked loudly, again successfully catching the attention of the whole room. Anya resisted the urge to sigh exasperatedly this time.

_Not even fifteen fucking minutes with this bimbo, and I’m already feeling irritated by her mere presence…_

“She was sorted into Slytherin.”

There was instant silence in the common room, as everybody looked at Anya with wide, fear and shock-filled eyes. She turned to look at all of them slowly.

Harry resisted the urge to face-palm, while Ron and the Weasley twins didn’t even bother hiding their emotions.

“Oh shit,” the Weasley twins uttered collectively.

“Penny in the air,” Harry commented dryly.

“Why?!” One of the boys exclaimed. Anya turned to him.

“Why what?” Anya asked confusedly. The boy seemed to shrink as all eyes turned on him.

“Why did she get sorted to Slytherin?” He mumbled, his face heating up.

Anya, Hermione, and Ginny all collectively rolled their eyes at the boy.

“I don’t know; ask the sorting hat for the answer,” Anya retorted. That seemed to snap them all out of their trances.

“But that makes her evil!” One of the students exclaimed.

“She must be!”

“Yeah!”

“Your sister is messed up to have been sorted to Slytherin,” One of the older boys said, while all his friends roared a ‘yeah!’ in agreement.

“She’s good-for-nothing!” One of the comments came up.

“Death-eater-in-training!”

“Evil snake!”

Harry and the others stepped forward to intervene, but Anya shook her head at them indiscernibly, telling them to stop with a hand. They all looked at her for a few moments, before nodding.

Anya looked around her, her eyes filled with anger, stopping all the comments at once. The crowd looked at her with decreasing confidence.

“You all do realize that it’s not even been twenty minutes since I entered this common room, right? And yet, you all are, what, passing comments, passing your ‘judgments’ your ‘personal opinions’ on my sister, _my sibling_?  The one with whom I share my blood with? Just who the fuck do you think you are?!” Anya asked quietly, but dangerously as she looked at all of them.

“We’re the ones who’ve been here for the past five years, Heiress,” One of the boys said haughtily, standing up to walk to her smugly. He looked down at her in a condescending manner. Anya looked up at him with a fierce expression.

“And who the fuck are _you_?” Anya asked calmly.

“Cormac McLaggen. You may have heard of my father. He holds… quite an important position in the ministry,” The boy, Cormac, said, looking twice as smug and proud.

“The name doesn’t ring a bell, no,” Anya replied promptly. Cormac was taken aback, before composing himself.

“The point is, Heiress, we know the Slytherins. We know what they are like. Their behaviors, their attitudes, their way of thinking. We know all about it. And all I can, and I think my fellow housemates would agree to this,” He said, gesturing to the others. It was noteworthy to say that only his group of friends nodded to him. The others just looked on warily as Anya’s temper increased. Cormac smirked smugly as he continued, “They’re not someone you could be friends with. And, although I am sorry for your sister, she’s already a gone case if she’s sorted to Slytherin. So I’d suggest you stay away from her.”

He then took a step closer and put a hand on her shoulder, directly entering her personal space. Anya looked at the hand on her shoulder, looking slightly shocked that he would actually _dare_ touch her.

He murmured to her, “We’re just looking out for you. We have your best interests at heart. You just need to listen to those who know best of how the things work here, and you’ll be fine.”

Anya looked back up at him, feeling her anger turning to hot rage that threatened to consume her. She took a deep breath in and controlled it with difficulty. She then took a hold of his wrist, pulled it off her shoulder effortlessly, much to his shock, and bent it till it was in a painful position and almost about to break. He tried pulling it out of her grasp, but her grip was tight as iron.

“Mr. McLaggen, I can assure you,” A small crack sounded throughout the room, making the others wince as McLaggen grunted loudly, “I don’t need your _suggestions_. I can hold my own, thank you very much. Or, more crudely put, shove your opinions and suggestions in your ass.”

The boy and his friends snarled at her.

“How dare you-” One of his friends shouted.

“Shut up,” Anya interrupted him in a flash, giving him the most dangerous look she could muster. The boy snapped his mouth shut and looked down.

“My father will hear about this!” Cormac said, expression pained and eyes filled with anger and disbelief. Anya bent his hand more, resulting in another small crack, making him grunt again.

“Oh? Will he now? Because I can assure you that my _Nana_ will hear about this as well. You father may hold an important but nonexistent position in the _British ministry_ , but my _Nana_ holds a high position in _every single ministry of the world_ , as per his _Royale 15_ status. I can just drop a hint, just a teensy little bit of hint about your father in a bad way, and he can make your father’s position permanently nonexistent,” Anya said calmly, her voice sending shivers down everyone’s spine.

Cormac’s face paled as he heard the girl’s words.

“Basically, be careful. Be very careful when you’re addressing me. Is it clear?” Anya asked quietly. Cormac nodded quickly, desperate to get away from the girl. She snarled at him and pushed him away from her.

She then looked around the whole room carefully. All of them, except her friends, gave her a wary look.

“This is a fair warning. Don’t waste your energy on commenting and giving suggestions about my twin. Mind your own fucking business, stay away from her and we’ll be fine,” She finished with a low, calm, chilling voice that made them shiver involuntarily. She turned away from them, almost about to walk to the dorms when Professor McGonagall came in.

Minerva came in through the door connecting her office quarters with the common room, looking at every single one of her Gryffindors carefully, demanding every single bit of their attention. She felt satisfied when they looked at her warily. She turned to the best student in her house.

“Ms. Granger, I want you to collect all the Gryffindors along with Ms. Patil and bring them down here at eight in the morning, understand?”

“Yes, Professor McGonagall,” Hermione said, as she and Parvati nodded. It was then that she noticed Anya looking disgruntled, standing away from everyone else. She was clearly upset about something, but Minerva didn’t comment upon it.

“The fifth year students will have a meeting tomorrow morning after breakfast. I expect you all there. Is that clear?”

The fifth-year students nodded.

“Ms. Maurya,” McGonagall called out to her, “If you could please, come to my office tomorrow, in my office. We have to discuss some things about your fifth year.”

Anya blinked, looking surprised before she nodded.

“Yes mam,” She answered promptly. Minerva nodded and looked over at the rest of her charge, who remained quiet.

“The rest of you, I want you all in bed by 11:00 sharp. I’ll be here to check.”

And with those words, she turned and stalked off back to her office. Murmurs erupted again as she went off.

Anya sighed tiredly and turned to Hermione.

“I’m off to bed. Talk to you guys in the morning,” She said, yawning slightly.

“Okay. See you in the morning, Anya!” Hermione said, smiling at her gently.

“I’ll come with you then,” Ginny said, going to stand beside her. Anya nodded with a smile.

“Okay. Good night guys!” Anya said, walking in the direction of the dorms with Ginny.

“Good night Anya, Ginny!” Harry and the others called out as the two girls walked out of sight.

It was when they were out of sight when the comments started.

“Pfft. What a psycho!” Lavender commented, sneering. Now feeling angry, Hermione rounded up on her.

“And why is that, Lavender?” She demanded. Lavender looked at her weirdly.

“She’s willing to associate with a _Slytherin_ , Granger! Surely that’s not hard enough for you to understand?” She asked condescendingly, which sparked murmurs of agreement, especially from Cormac and his group. Cormac was nursing his hand, anger, and embarrassment rolling from him in waves.

“You all are missing the point,” Parvati interrupted loudly. The others grew silent as they turned their heads to her.

“Understand, this is her first evening in Hogwarts. She just entered the Gryffindor common room for the first time. Maybe this is her first time away from home. The only blood relative she has with her here to support her is her sister. Her _twin_. And you all basically told her to stay away from her, just because she’s in another house.”

“But she’s a Slytherin!” Lavender exclaimed. Parvati turned her head towards her sharply.

“I seem to remember getting similar comments from you all when I first came in here. ‘Don’t mingle with your sister. She’s from a different house. It shouldn’t be encouraged. Her allegiance is to Ravenclaws now.’ I almost listened to you all. And I almost lost her as well. So yes, maybe her twin is a Slytherin, maybe she has the same dark mind as her housemates, but Anya’s not going to leave her side. Not now, not ever. I can assure you that. Trust me; I’m a twin,” She finished and walked off to her dorms, leaving the others with a lot to think about.

____----____----____

“First years,” Daphne called out to the students as they neared the common room, “Remember that the password to the Slytherin common room is not to be disclosed to anyone outside of the house. It would be considered a betrayal against our house if you even think of doing so. Remember that you need to ask one of the prefects of the password every month, as it changes every month,” Daphne explained, as they came to a stop in front of a wall.

“The password for this month is- _Unitatis,_ ” Daphne said loudly. The wall slid to the side to reveal the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Daphne led the curious first years into the common room.

Anusha, on the other hand, came in with the other fifth year students.

“This is cozy,” Anusha commented, looking around curiously. It was a large place colored in themes of silver, dark green, and black. The main couches near the fireplace were all made of black leather and looked posh. The study tables and the artifacts around the room were all themed in black.

_That’s a… lot of black… I think this is why Papa has a weird obsession with black… but it’s clean and cool, so no problem whatsoever…_

“C’mon, Anusha,” Daphne said, patting her on the shoulder and gesturing her over to the sofas. Anusha nodded and sat beside Daphne, who sat between her and Tracy. Beside Tracy sat Draco and Pansy, with Pansy practically hanging on his arm, much to his discomfort. Draco’s ‘bodyguards’, Vincent and Gregory sat beside the ‘couple’, speaking to each other animatedly about their holidays. On the other sofa sat Blaise, who just simply sat there, staring at her with a smirk. She raised her eyebrow at him, and his response was a wink directed at her. She smirked back at him. Beside him was Theo, who just sat there, looking at the flames raging in the fireplace with a quiet, contemplative expression on his face.

 _Well, they’re a good enough bunch for me… I guess I can hang out with them when I’m here… But the others though…_ She thought, looking around her and observing her other Housemates, who were all looking at her with varying expressions. Some looked at her with an expression of awe, some were looking at her with wary, some had an expression of fear as they murmured what she presumed were rumors. But one group actually made her look back at them.

It was a select group of students at one end of the room. The place was devoid of any decoration other than a single, antique armchair. A handsome boy, sitting on the central armchair was surrounded by a group of four boys. A girl sat on the armrest of the armchair, glaring at her. The boys, on the other hand, seemed to be looking at her with intense scrutiny. She actually resisted raising her eyebrows at them and looked back to the girls beside her. She didn’t want to be in trouble during her first night.

_Aren’t they charming? This whispering behind their hands and murmuring about me and my family kind of reminds me of the society dinners I and Anya had to attend…_

Just the thought of those dinners made Anusha shiver involuntarily.

_Ugh, if this is what it’s it going to be like, then this is going to be a long year…_

_“Hey, Anusha?”_ Anya’s voice came through their mental connection.

 _“Hey, Sis. How’s it going up there?”_ Anusha asked curiously. She could feel her twin’s mood dropping slightly.

 _“…Okay. Sort of. My housemates are such idiots!”_ Anya exclaimed. Anusha refrained from actually raising her eyebrows, but she was sure that her sister understood her emotions.

 _“O-Kay. What’s wrong?”_ Anusha asked. Anya sighed tiredly.

 _“I entered the common room and I was like ‘okay cool, this is where I’m going to be for the next three years. Not bad, décor’s good’ and all of that. Now, everyone was busy speaking to themselves after Hermione showed the first years around the place. And she gets called by this other Indian girl, Parvati Patil, who’s been made prefect,”_ Anya explained.

 _“Hey, they’re relatives of Shruti Patil, right?”_ Anusha asked curiously.

 _“Yeah, they are. Anyways, Hermione and Parvati start speaking to each other and I and Ginny are standing there, listening to them talk when Parvati’s friend, Lavender Brown, loudly asks if I were one of the Royale 15. You know, just to gather everyone’s attention,”_ Anya said, the distaste in her voice clear. Anusha glanced at Pansy, who was giggling in an utterly creepy way at everything Draco said. Her expression turned distasteful.

 _“Ugh. I get you, sis. I totally get you,”_ Anusha said, grimacing at the sound of Pansy’s nasal laugh echoing through the common room.

 _“Oh Merlin, who’s that?!”_ Anya exclaimed when the laughter passed.

 _“Don’t ask. Just continue with your story,”_ Anusha said, taking a deep breath to control herself.

_“Okay… anyways, I had to answer the questions and she just enthusiastically shakes my hand and everything. Then Parvati asks about you, like- didn’t you have a twin’ and all. And I said yes I do but sorted to another house and then the other girl, Lavender, again loudly asks which house you were in,”_

_“She sounds so irritating,”_ Anusha commented.

 _I know, right? So she asks the question and…”_ Anya stopped. Anusha waited for a few seconds.

 _“What? What is it, Anya?”_ Anusha asked concernedly. She heard Anya’s tired sigh.

 _“The moment I said ‘Slytherin’, there was complete silence in the room. Everyone’s giving me weird looks. Then the comments started. The same as Ron threw on us at the beginning of living in the Grimmauld place. ‘Slimy snake’ ‘Death-eater-in-training’ and all of the others,”_ Anya said. Anusha could feel Anya’s anger rise suddenly.

 _“One of the boys even had the audacity to step closer to me and ‘claimed’ that he knew Slytherins and how they were, that you were a ‘lost cause’ and ‘suggested’ me that I stay away from you,”_ Anya said, her temper flaring red hot. Anusha sighed to herself. She immediately understood what happened next.

 _“What did you do to him?”_ Anusha asked, almost resignedly, but not accusingly. Anya’s anger subsided slightly.

 _“I nearly broke his wrist,”_ She stated defiantly. Anusha nearly raised an eyebrow.

_“Oh, okay. Somehow I’m not even surprised at that anymore.”_

_“You shouldn’t be. You’re my family, Anusha. We’ve been together since… forever. We made a promise to stand together no matter what, and no stupid unofficial grudge between two houses is going to be changing my mind,”_ Anya stated decisively. Anusha nearly smiled at her words.

 _“Neither is it going to change mine, sis. We made a promise, and I’m sticking by it. Always,”_ Anusha stated, just as decisively.

She blinked back in surprise as someone cleared his throat in front of her. She along with the rest of her year-mates turned their attention to the tall, handsome boy in front of her, the same boy who had been staring at her along with his group. He looked extremely serious as he looked down at her. At first glance, anyone would say he was self-important, slightly pompous, but Anusha could see he was more serious, more aloof sort of person.

“ _Hey, who is that?”_ Anya asked confusedly.

 _I don’t know, some boy,”_ Anusha answered as she stood up. Though Anya wanted to ask her questions, she opted to silently watch the interaction through their mental connection.

Anusha, meanwhile, kept her attention to the boy in front of her. For a few moments, they stared at each other silently, while the whole room stared at them. Daphne cleared her throat and stood up suddenly, almost making them jump as they turned their heads at her.

“Anusha, this is the king of Slytherin, Timothy Mallory. Your Highness, I present to you, Heiress Anusha Maurya,” Daphne said, formally introducing them as they stared at each other with sharp, intense and scrutinizing gaze. Anusha could hear the people around her murmur softly to themselves as they stared at them interacting with each other, but she ignored them.

 _“KING of Slytherin?”_ Anya muttered, through the connection.

 _Yeah. Hierarchy is important in Slytherin, sis,”_ Anusha explained to her, _“So, the strongest students amongst the house fight for the position and the winner gets to sit at the top of the hierarchy here.”_

 _"Okay, wow. I can see the point in that,”_ Anya said, intrigued by the rules.

“Heiress Maurya,” Timothy murmured, bowing respectfully to her.

“Your Highness,” Anusha greeted him, curtsying gracefully.

“Welcome to the house of Salazar Slytherin. We all are extremely proud to have one of the _Royale 15_ family members amongst us,” Mallory said, looking down at her.

 _“He’s… welcoming?”_ Anya commented dryly.

“I am likewise proud to be a member of the Slytherin House,” Anusha replied to him, her gaze unflinching and cool, just as she and Anya had been taught by their Ma and _Nani._

“I’ve heard you have a twin sister,” He commented, in a conversational tone, but his face was expressionless.

 _“Uh oh. Here it comes,”_ Anya remarked.

 _“You know what? I’m going to have some fun with dropping the bomb on him,”_ Anusha said, in a matter-of-fact tone. She heard Anya chuckle loudly.

 _“Oh you’re so evil sis,”_ Anya murmured.

A hint of a small smirk graced her features.

“Oh yes, but she is sorted into a different house,” She said calmly, her smirk growing by the second. He blinked at her, feeling as though she was having her own personal little joke that no one was privy to.

“Which one, may I ask?” He asked, opting to ask outright, instead of subtly prying out from her.

“Gryffindor,” She answered promptly. The murmurs came to a stop as everyone stared at her.

 _“Well, the reactions are the same as my housemates’,”_ Anya commented.

 _“Malfoy and those other people know?”_ Anya asked curiously, looking at the people sitting on the couch.

 _“Yup,”_ Anusha replied.

_“That explains the not so shocked reactions.”_

“W-Well, that is… odd,” The king of Slytherin commented, his eyes narrowing slightly. Anusha raised her eyebrows slightly at him.

 _“He better not say the same thing as that moron did,”_ Anya said in a low voice.

“Pardon?” Anusha uttered in a quiet tone.

“We’ve never had that before, Heiress Maurya. Twins usually get sorted into same houses,” Mallory said, looking thoughtful.

Anusha stared at him blankly, opting to not to comment on it.

“I urge you to be cautious. After all, there can be times when you can… unintentionally, of course, slip certain… compromising details to your sister,” The Seventh year said smoothly.

The eldest Maurya Heiress raised her eyebrow at him questioningly.

“I do not doubt you, Heiress,” Mallory continued smoothly, “After all, the Sorting Hat considered you worthy enough for a Slytherin. But understand this. We have a way of doing things around here. Us Slytherins like to keep our secrets close and stand united,” He said quietly, the warning clear in his eyes. Anusha stared at him for a few long moments but nodded indiscernibly.

With that, the King of Slytherin ended his conversation and walked back to his group with the same serious expression on his face.

Anusha resisted rolling her eyes at him and instead sat down and followed him with her eyes as he went back.

The conversations started flowing again, although this time the other students were openly talking about her and the ‘King’ of Slytherin.

 _“That was… enlightening,”_ Anusha commented finally. She could feel Anya’s incredulous expression as she said that.

 _“This is going to be a fun year…”_ Anya commented dryly.

 _“Definitely. With our luck, it would be,”_ Anusha said. Anya suddenly yawned widely. Anusha raised an eyebrow at her.

 _“Okay, sis. I’m turning in. Talk to you tomorrow,”_ Anya said.

 _“Okay, sis. Good night,”_ Anusha said.

 _“Good night,”_ Anya said, closing the connection. 

Anusha nodded to herself and turned her head to listen to Daphne and Tracy talk to each other.

After a few minutes had passed, Severus entered the common room, his robes billowing around him, making him look imposing and intimidating. The room grew quiet as he entered. The students all stared at him silently, not wanting to incur his wrath or get his attention on the first evening back at Hogwarts.

Anusha was surprised. Though she knew her father was strict, she hadn’t expected him having this kind of control over his snakes.

_Wow, Papa sure has a lot of control over everyone here…_

“Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Greengrass, I want you both to collect the first years and get them in the common room by seven o’ clock in the morning, understood?” He said softly, looking at the two fifth-year prefects.

“Yes Professor,” They said together.

“Fifth year and seventh-year students will be having a meeting soon. Now, the first year to third-year students will be inside the common room by eight in the evening and inside the dormitories by nine-thirty and out of bed by six-thirty. I don’t want any of you to break these rules. Break them and there’ll be consequences. Is it understood?”

The first up to third years nodded, easily intimidated by him. Anusha smiled inwardly.

_This reminds me of the grounding I and Anya used to get whenever we were up to some mischief…_

“Now from the fourth year onwards, I expect you all in the common room by nine thirty, in your dorms by eleven thirty and out of your dorms by five. For Fifth to Seventh years, certain rules can be exempted, only under the right circumstances. If you use them for joking around and making a fool of yourselves, I’ll know and there will be consequences. And I’m sure you all understand what those consequences are,” Severus said in a quiet and silky voice.

 _Wow, usually, in a crowd like this, I expected him to raise his voice just slightly, but he’s speaking normally, just like he does back at home..._ Anusha noted with a smirk.

The fifth to Seventh years nodded, a tad bit fearful of him. After spending more than half a decade under his care, they knew how angry and dangerous he could get.

Then, his eyes turned to her. Though he had his mask on, his eyes had softened slightly as he looked at her.

“Ms. Maurya,” He called out. Anusha blinked in surprise but stood up.

“Come with me. We need to discuss certain things,” He said, walking back towards his office.

“Yes sir,” She replied, nodding to Daphne and the others and walking behind him. As they walked out, it was at this time that Anusha turned to observe her father more carefully. He looked thinner than he had been back in May, his eyes looked faint red with exhaustion and his hair was a greasy, dirty mess.

“If you’re quite done with your observations, Ms. Maurya, please focus on the path ahead,” Her father said, not even looking at her as he said it. Anusha’s eyes widened slightly, before she looked ahead, slightly sheepish.

“Sorry, Professor,” She murmured, her face slightly red. Severus refrained from smirking but instead opened the doors to his office. He let her in first, closing the door behind him. He turned to her, only to stop and see her staring at him with intense scrutiny. His eyebrows raised in surprise.

“What?”

“You look miserable, Papa,” She stated, in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Pardon?”

“You clearly look like you’ve lost weight between May and now, your eyes are faintly red from lack of sleep, and your hair looks dirty and greasy from too much of Potion Making. Basically, you look miserable. What’s going on, Papa?” Anusha asked, stepping close to hug him tightly. He hugged her back and rested his hand on her head gently.

“Nothing for you to worry about. I’m just… very preoccupied with everything- The Order, the meeting with HIM and the other people in the inner circle, making potions for all of them and the list just goes on,” Severus said, as he pressed his face against her hair, and sighed at smelling the familiar smell. He hadn’t realized that he had missed his daughters so much. He pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead and pulled back, gesturing her to a seat in front of his table. She looked at the chair distastefully.

“I’m your eldest, not a mere mischievous student,” Anusha grumbled as she sat down on the hard, wooden chair, much to her Papa’s amusement.

“Well, you’re all of them- a student, my eldest child and mischievous when it comes to it,” Their Papa said, as he came and stood beside her seat. She looked up at him, giving him her best puppy-dog eyes as she asked, “Can you please transfigure the seat, Papa?”

He raised his eyebrows at her.

“I could, but I’m tempted not to,” He said, smirking as Anusha’s face fell into a pout. He chuckled and simply took out his wand and tapped on the chair thrice. The wooden chair changed to a comfortable armchair in dark colors. Anusha looked at her chair with an expression of approval.

“Much better,” Anusha murmured, leaning against the headrest. Severus chuckled at the sight.

“Alright. Now, since you are a bit of a celebrity here, there are some things I’d like to tell you about. First of all, I know you’re not dumb enough to actually get pulled to the dark side, but you need to be careful about who you’re making friends with. I see you’ve made good friends with Ms. Greengrass and Ms. Davis during the supper. The other students of the fifth year have quite a bit of influence in the British wizarding world.”

“I know. I recognized the names, Papa. Parkinson, Malfoy, Nott, Zabini, Bulstrode… all of the old pureblood families.”

“And almost all of them affiliated to the Dark Lord. The Notts, Malfoys, Parkinsons, Bulstrodes too- all of them in the inner circle. The Zabinis never cared for all of this and kept themselves away. But you need to be careful around them all.”

“I’ll be fine, Papa,” Anusha assured him with a wave, but stopped as Severus looked at her seriously.

“I’m being serious here. You attracted enough of attention to cause Darius Mallory to come and personally speak to you. As far as I remember from my times, it meant that the King is keeping his eye on you. He may consider you as a threat, or as a person of interest, or even-”

“Papa!” Anusha interjected gently, “Calm down, for Merlin’s sake! Like I said, I’ll be fine, okay? Don’t worry so much!” She finished, standing up and going to him to hug him tightly. Severus sighed.

“Yes, I know. But fate works in both ways- good and bad. I just want you and your sister to be safe, from both sides,” Severus said, embracing her tightly, still wanting to protect both of his girls from all harm and danger.

Anusha was tempted to say something about Anya but quickly squished the thought out of her mind.

 _He’s like this over what happened with Mallory… if I say something about Anya, he won’t be able to take it… he’d probably send us to outer Mongolia by tomorrow…_ Anusha thought with a small smirk but straightened up as he pulled back slightly to kiss her forehead.

“It’s time for bed. Go along. If you want anything else, you can ask me anytime, okay?” He said, cupping her face gently.

“Yes Papa,” She said, smiling brightly at him.

“Okay. Now, off to bed. You have classes tomorrow,” He said, pulling back.

“And I should say the same to you, old man. Off to bed!” She said, mimicking him. He snorted.

“Cheeky,” He muttered as he pushed her towards the doors gently.

“Good night Papa,” She said, going towards the doors.

“Good night, sweetheart,” Severus said, nodding to her.

Anusha smiled at him, before opening the door and shutting it behind her. He sighed.

 _“Papa?”_ Anya’s voice came through the mental connection they had. Severus blinked. It was a little rare that either of the girls actually used the mental connection they had with him. He had especially told them not to do it randomly since he might be attending some meetings or doing some ‘Order’ work.

 _“Anya? What’s the matter, kid?”_ He asked gently, as he went and sat on the armchair Anusha had occupied just minutes before.

 _“Sorry I didn’t get sorted into Slytherin,”_ His second child said in a small voice. He stopped short to frown slightly.

 _“Sweetheart, like I told you on your birthday, it doesn’t matter which house you get sorted to. I don’t care about that. What I care about is how you excel in your houses and respective careers. I just want you both to be happy, okay?”_ Severus said gently, sending her a warm smile. She smiled back in return.

 _“Really?”_ She asked, in an optimistic tone. He chuckled.

 _“Yes, really,”_ He answered.

 _“Okay. Was Anusha there a few minutes ago?”_ Anya asked curiously. He chuckled again.

 _“Yes,”_ He replied, shaking his head.

 _“I heard the interaction between her and Mallory,”_ Anya stated, in a matter-of-fact tone.

 _“Oh yes. Since we’re on the topic, I want you both to be careful around him, okay?”_ Severus said, softly. He could feel Anya rolling her eyes.

 _“We’ll be fine, Papa. We’ve survived our overbearing and condescending cousins. Surely we can survive some idiots of the school?”_ She asked rhetorically. He huffed.

 _“Your sister said the same thing. Apart from that, I know you both would have a good year,”_ He said, nodding to himself.

 _“Thanks Papa,”_ Anya said, smiling at him.

 _“Now go to sleep, sweetheart. Classes tomorrow,”_ He said sternly.

 _“Yes, Papa. Good night,”_ Anya said, yawning slightly. He smiled softly.

 _“Good night darling,”_ He murmured. She closed the connection. He sighed and rested his head against the headrest. He knew he had potions to brew, but he just felt so fucking drained that all thoughts of work vanished as he opened the door to his quarters and all but fell on the couch. He sighed tiredly, thinking about the Death Eater meetings lately. The Dark Lord had been less focused on the British ministry lately and instead let Malfoy focus on that. He himself was focusing on Potter or trying to. Severus smirked as he thought of the frustration HE displayed when he asked him if Potter had been taught Occlumency. Severus acted the oblivious man, looking at him confusedly, as he gave him the standard answer of ‘Not that I know of’. His anger had been worth watching. He had never felt any more proud of his girls he had felt then. But his anger had to be taken out somewhere.

_Well, it’s all worth it… as long as we win the war… it’s all worth it…_

He winced as he touched his chest where his newest scar wound was. It wasn’t as deep as the earlier ones, but it would definitely scar, Poppy had said as she bandaged him in silence.

 _Of course, it would scar,_ He said to himself, _After all, HE used a spell of my creations, that bastard…_

He took a deep breath to control himself, saying the same mantra he said whenever he got a new scar wound on his body.

_A new wound… a new story… every soldier has that… And that’s what I am… a soldier... fighting a war…_

Sighing, Severus closed his eyes, a memory of his early days flashing through his mind.

_Flashback-_

_He sighed as he entered the Maurya mansion. He finally got a little time to himself and he did the only thing he always did- he simply left for home._

_Yes, that what this huge place had become for him. He had promised Uncle Septimus that he’d visit him soon, but for now, he wanted to go to the one person who was most important to him. Amisha._

_He grimaced suddenly as he remembered the most recent meeting he had with Dumbledore. He had claimed that he had a way to defeat HIM sooner. But, it was the one thing that made him feel sickened and disgusted. It was true that Albus had given him the choice- to do it or to not do it. But this was a difficult choice._

_He was asked to work as a spy by joining the inner circle of the Death Eaters. He knew that he had been getting the subtle invitations from Lucius, but he wasn’t ever going to accept that. Or so he thought._

_Some of the Order from the inner circle- McGonagall, the Werewolf and Longbottoms- were present when Dumbledore gave him a choice. He knew that joining in as a spy against the Death Eaters would help them tremendously with the war, but he was sickened by the very thought of having the disgusting snake tattoo on his left forearm. He was largely tempted to say a resounding no to Dumbledore. But he knew that rash decisions could lead to a lot of trouble. So, he simply asked for some time to think and answer. Dumbledore had agreed and had given him about two weeks before he required an answer._

_He needed someone’s counsel on this. If he asked his Uncle on this, he would definitely say a no to him, claiming that he already lost his sister and wouldn’t be able to bear losing him as well._

_So, he went to the three other rational people in his lives- Amisha, Vikram and Sarakshi. This discussion with them was important._

_He entered the living room to find it empty. Only Raman was there, going through some book quietly. He looked up as Severus entered and gave him a smile and a nod._

_“Hey, Severus. How are you?” He asked, shaking hands with him. Severus smirked back._

_“I’m good Raman. How are things with you?” He asked curiously._

_“They’re good. Fantastic in fact. I think with enough money, I’ll be able to afford a house for my own soon.”_

_“Great. That is some good news. Any house you’ve set your sights on?” He asked sitting next to him. Raman nodded._

_“Actually yes, but I need more time for that,” He answered, sighing to himself._

_“Where is everyone?” Severus asked, looking around._

_“Well, Amisha went off with Vikram and Sarakshi for some function. They’ll be back soon,” Raman replied._

_Severus stifled a yawn and stood up and said, “Actually I am going to the rooms to rest. Had a sleepless night. Tell them if they come back.”_

_“Alright. Get some rest, Severus.”_

_Severus nodded and went in the direction of his rooms, stifling another yawn as he walked through the corridors. He opened the doors of their room and went in to change. After fifteen minutes, he came out, wearing a pair of black slacks and a grey shirt. He lay on the bed, closed his eyes and went off to sleep._

_“Sev?” A voice called him out softly._

_His eyes opened almost immediately to see Amisha sitting beside him. She wore her usual Indian clothes on, with her hair cascading till her waist. He breathed in deeply and moved to rest his head on her lap, intertwining their hands softly. She smiled down at him._

_“Had a rough time there?” She asked, moving his hair out of his face and tucking it behind his ear. He sighed and caught hold of her other hand and kissed it softly._

_“You know that I do. It’s tiring, teaching and working for the Order. And…” He hesitated, frowning to himself as he suddenly remembered what it was that made him take a holiday of two weeks._

_She noticed the frown and asked, “What is it? Is it something serious?”_

_He sat up and turned to her with a troubled expression. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Yes. I had a meeting with Dumbledore a few days ago. I had been getting a lot of invitations to join HIS Inner circle. I told Dumbledore of his invitations. In this meeting, he asked me to join the Death Eaters and spy for him.”_

_Her eyes widened as he told her the news._

_“W-What?”_

_“Yes,” He said, nodding._

_“What do you think of it?” She asked, after a few moments of silence._

_“I fell sickened by the thought of it. But on the other hand, I know that joining HIM would mean that I would be able to pass the information to the Order and help them win the war. But…”_

_“You feel sick at the thought of joining those who killed your mother,” She completed the sentence for him. His eyes snapped to her shimmering grey ones as he nodded._

_“Yes,” He breathed out, sighing deeply as she caressed his face. She smiled at him gently._

_“If it feels right for you, spying on them Sev, then do it,” She murmured, shrugging. His eyes widened in shock._

_“B-But then…” He trailed off. She raised an eyebrow at him._

_“Then I would be the same as them!” He said quietly, letting out the one thing that had been eating him from the inside ever since he had that meeting with Dumbledore. She shook her head and cupped his face with both her hands._

_“Sev no! You’re not like them! You may join them, but you won’t do any of those horrible things on purpose!” She said softly, caressing his face gently._

_“How do you know that? How can you be so sure?” He asked her disbelievingly. She smiled at him, her eyes brightening as they looked into his dark ones._

_“I know you,” She whispered softly, shrugging, as she slid her hands to his shoulders._

_He hummed, thinking for a moment, before frowning again._

_“Hmm? What is it Sev?” Amisha asked, confused._

_He didn’t answer, but stood up and went to the window to stare at the scenery. She huffed and stood up to go and stand in front of him. She wrapped her arms around him and looked up at him. He down at her with the same expression, before his eyes softened and he smiled down at her and placed his hands on her waist as well._

_“Now what is it that makes you frown like a sulking child?” She asked, with an impish smirk on her face. He shot her a grumpy look._

_“Oh haha,” He said dryly, before he continued, “I’m thinking that if I do say yes and join the Death Eaters to spy on them, then I won’t be able to sneak here. In fact, I doubt I’ll be able to come here at all,” He finished, running his hand through his hair, a sign of nervousness._

_“Why not?” Amisha asked confusedly._

_“The mark of a Death Eater acts as a tracker. Once I get that tattoo on my arm, it would be suspicious why I’m coming here all the time. The last thing I want is for HIM to find out about you and the others,” He explained, looking up again. She frowned as she thought of this._

_“Well, we’ll think of something Sev. I can come to stay there sometimes. We can meet in different places in the world. But I’m refusing to let a scheming megalomaniac stop me from meeting you,” She said softly, looking into his eyes as she smiled at him._

_He looked down at her, before returning the smile with a smirk._

_“Of course you won’t. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you,” He murmured, leaning in to press his forehead against hers._

_“You shouldn’t,” She said, smiling up at him, brushing their noses softly. He cupped her face gently and brought her lips to his, kissing her softly._

_-End flashback_

He blinked back to the sound of the clock. He looked at the time. 11’ o clock. He sighed and wiped the lone tear that slipped from his eyes.

_Come on. Pull yourself together… don’t you dare be weak… you need to go and check on the students..._

____----____---____

Anusha entered the common room to find Daphne and Tracy wait for her. By that time, most of the others had gone to bed. Daphne stood up as she saw Anusha.

“Hey. I figured since you are new here, you need to be shown the dorms. Don’t want you losing your way in the dungeons,” Daphne said, smirking.

“Thanks,” Anusha murmured, smirking back, as Daphne and Tracy led her to the dorms. As they took a turn to the left, Anusha saw there were various doors arranged in a line on either side that stretched till the end. Thankfully, they didn’t go far and stopped near a shiny, black door. Tracy opened it to reveal a large circular room with the same dark theme as the common room. The bedding and the curtains were a deep green and there was a huge desk at one end of the room that was empty.

“You’re sharing a room with Tracy,” Daphne said, gesturing to her best friend beside her. Anusha looked around curiously.

“Okay, you’ll need to discuss washroom and desk timings with Tracy. I’d suggest no fights with your dorm partner, but I don’t have to. Tracy’s the sweetest girl ever. And keep your dorm clean as Professor Sinistra loves doing a surprise check. Seriously, she’s unpredictable.”

“Where will you be going then?”

“Oh, prefects have their own rooms to sleep. They don’t share dorms with anyone,” Daphne said, smirking to herself. Anusha nodded thoughtfully.

“Any other questions?”

“Nope.”

“Okay then! Good night!” Daphne said, moving towards the doors.

“Good night Daphne,” Anusha and Tracy answered at once.

“Sleep well you two! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Daphne said, closing the door behind her. Anusha looked at Tracy and nodded to her, before going to her bed. She pulled up her trunk and took out the night clothes that she had kept at the top. She made a move towards the washroom but stopped as she saw Tracy go in the direction as well.

For a few moments, they looked at each other, before smirking at each other and they all but ran towards the doors, laughing and squealing. But Anusha reached first and shut the door behind her quickly with a laugh.

“Hey!” Tracy shouted playfully, knocking on the door loudly, “No fair! You were nearer to the washroom!”

“Sorry, Davis! I got in first!” Anusha said, smirking impishly before she set about her business. She freshened up quickly and came out of the washroom to find Tracy waiting outside with a pout on her face. Anusha smirked at her playfully, which made Tracy sigh and smirk back.

“Don’t you worry Maurya,” Tracy murmured, standing close to her, “I’ll be first next time.”

Anusha smirked challengingly.

“I’d like to see you try,” Anusha murmured back before she went to her bed and lied down with a sigh and closed her eyes. She opened them at the sound of the washroom door opening to see Tracy going to her bed.

“Oh I’m so tired,” She murmured loudly as she crashed on her bed.

“So am I,” Anusha answered back.

“So, before we enter the first day of school, I think desk timings should be cleared,” Tracy said, resting on her elbows as she spoke to her. Anusha sat up to look at her.

“Okay. Personally, I think we should divide the hours between us. What do you think? Or since the desk is large enough, we can share it too,” Anusha suggested. Tracy contemplated her suggestion.

“Good idea. But most of the time, it’ll be out in the common room or in the library that we’re going to work. So, I think the former idea sounds much better, you know if you want to be secluded and everything,” Tracy explained.

“We’ll leave the morning hours. If required, either of us can use it. Then, barring free periods and lunch break, we have the afternoon and evening until supper free. Let’s see, that would be about six hours. Then three hours for you, three for me. After supper, that’s another three hours, which I know would be spent in the common room. But one and a half hours for you, the rest for me.”

“And it can be alternative,” Anusha added. Tracy nodded to her.

“Yes. So, we’re done with that,” Tracy said, nodding to herself.

“Yes, I’m glad we’re in agreement,” Anusha said, nodding to her.

“So am I. Now, let’s just go to bed. I’m beat,” Tracy said, moving up to untie the curtains of the bed. Anusha sighed and did the same.

“Yes. Good night Tracy,” Anusha said, as she closed the curtains.

“Good night,” came the reply as she closed her curtains.

Anusha closed the curtains and laid on the bed with a tired sigh. She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately, feeling her mother’s soothing voice comforting her.

____----____----____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think?? Good, bad, meh?? Do tell... Comment and kudos please!!
> 
> *{Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, chapter XI-The sorting hat’s new song)


	11. First Day...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, readers. Sorry about the time lag. It's been a while. Just been working and studying, and living life. All of this pretty much got in the way, so... sorry about this. Here's the 11th Chapter. Hope you have fun reading it...

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

**Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however, are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.**

_CHAPTER XI_

Minerva stared at her newest Gryffindor in front of her, who sat with a troubled frown on her face, which had been there ever since she had stepped in the office, which was fifteen minutes ago. The Gryffindor head knew something had happened before she had arrived last night. In fact, she even had an inkling what it was, if the complaints by McLaggen’s dorm-mates were any indication.

She knew her Gryffindors were a rambunctious bunch of students. Apart from Potter and his group of friends, some students must have voiced their displeasure and opinions to her when she told them of Anusha’s sorting. She knew that her lions (including herself as well) often viewed the world as black and white, and not in shades of gray. That led to quite a few fights and quarrels in the corridor, most of which involved her house at the center of it all. She knew what she had to then. Give both parties a stern lecture and take off points from both houses accordingly. It ensured both parties felt shame on their actions and they would be subdued, for the moment, at least. Simple enough.

But, when it came to fights within the House, she knew she had to be careful and not be partial to any party. So, that meant that she had to dissolve the situation, lest it would affect the students involved and would probably keep them distracted and creating problems for each other for the rest of the session. And with Anya and Anusha’s fifth-year O.W.L.s, she knew Severus would go berserk if any of their results went lower than his standards. She actually resisted the urge to sigh tiredly.

_This is the first day of school... my lions just can’t stop themselves, can they? As if that isn’t enough this year… A ministry appointed Professor, a set of twins sorted into two different houses, two houses which claw at each other’s throats, the same set of twins who have a father just as protective of them as any other father having daughters… This is going to be a long year, I just know it…_

Minerva blinked back to see her newest charge looking at the fireplace with a sullen expression, though she kept her posture straight and not slump like most others. Minerva smirked at her.

“Ms. Maurya?” Minerva called out, prompting the girl to turn her head to her.

“Yes ma’am,” She answered promptly, looking alert and ready for action.

 _Quite like her Father…_ Minerva noted with a small smirk.

 “How did you find your first evening here?” The head asked calmly. Anya’s eyes flashed with anger, but it was replaced with calm and control almost immediately. Minerva couldn’t have noticed it if she weren’t looking at her carefully.

“It was… good. The people here are quite friendly,” Anya said, with forced politeness and controlled voice.

“Oh, really? Because I can see your anger clearly. You’re upset about something,” Minerva said, choosing to lay it on the table instead of beating around the bush.

“Pardon?” Anya uttered, feigning confusion. Minerva sighed exasperatedly.

“You’re not going to be easy, are you?” Minerva muttered, shaking her head to herself, “You’re just like your father, young lady.”

Anya blinked at her in surprise. Her hand immediately went to finger her wand subtly as she saw McGonagall pull out hers, an action which didn’t go unnoticed by Minerva. She nearly frowned but didn’t comment upon it.

_She and Anusha must have been drilled on these tactics by their Master… quite impressive, if I may say…_

Minerva summoned the tea set on the table and poured them both a cup gracefully.

“How do you take your tea?”

Anya’s eyes widened as she looked at her, but quickly replied, “Um, a dash of milk. No sugar.”

Minerva hummed and gave her the cup. The girl took with a murmured ‘thank you, ma’am’. The delicate scent made her relax slightly. She took a sip and breathed out as a feeling of warmth spread through her body. She felt slightly calmer than before. Minerva smirked lightly as she sipped her own tea. She set her cup of tea of the table and took out a tin of gingernuts from the lower drawer. She opened the tin and gestured her to take one.

Anya blinked at her before she took out a biscuit from the tin and nibbled at it.

“Anya, I understand that you were involved in an incident with some other Gryffindors last evening,” Minerva said, sipping her cup of tea.

Anya sighed and answered, “Yes ma’am.”

“Do you accept the fact that you nearly broke a fellow Gryffindor’s wrist?”

“No, I don’t,” Anya answered calmly, sipping her tea.

Minerva narrowed her eyes slightly.

“I accept the fact that I nearly _sprained_ a fellow Gryffindor’s wrist,” Anya stated evenly. Minerva’s eyebrows rose to her hairline as she heard the statement. She composed herself, taking a sip of her tea as she stared at the fifth-year.

_Honestly, it’s as though the two girls are clones of his… If Anya’s like this, then I wonder what Anusha’s like…_

“Nevertheless, you nearly caused bodily harm to a person. He’s been up all night, complaining to the others, according to his dorm-mates,” Minerva said, her lips pursing into a thin line.

Anya sighed tiredly.

“Pardon me ma’am, but I’m not taking suggestions by some morons on how to stay away from my twin just because she’s in Slytherin,” Anya stated defiantly.

“Language, Ms. Maurya,” Minerva said warningly. Anya blinked and cleared her throat sheepishly.

“Apologies ma’am.”

“Hmm. Now, coming back, I’m not asking you to, Ms. Maurya. On the contrary, I’m glad you’re not letting the unspoken, unofficial rules come between your sisterly bonds. What I am asking you to do, is to control your anger. I understand that fear is efficient to stop them from making a scene, but it isn’t enough to stop them from commenting.”

Anya looked down at her cup, thinking of what her head of House said to her. It wasn’t the first time that she was rebuked for her temper. But it was the first time someone put it that way for her.

Minerva leaned back in her seat, relaxing slightly as she thought of her next words.

“I understand it might be a little difficult for you to hear them comment and try to belittle your twin, but I want you to remember that your father goes through this every day.”

Anya perked up at that.

“What?” She said, confusedly, a pool of dread filling her stomach.

“You father… he supports and protects his house at all times. I can’t blame him, you know. All of us Heads of House do that. But Slytherin’s reputation isn’t the best around here. Your father does what he has to just to protect his house. And all he gets are insulting names, taunts behind his back and a lot of looks filled with disdain and hate. The worst thing is that he knows what they say. He goes through his day with these things said behind his back, and not even once, have I ever seen or heard of him ever losing his control over his temper. And you know as well as I do, he has the worst of tempers,” Minerva said, peering at her over her glasses.

Anya nodded to her, totally understanding where she came from. The times she had seen her Father truly angry were rare and few in between. But those moments were unforgettable to her.

“I know the fact that if he doesn’t succumb to the temptation, then you won’t as well. And I expect you to have a little more control,” Minerva said, looking a little stern. Anya nodded solemnly.

“Yes ma’am,” Anya said, nodding as she sipped her tea. Minerva hummed and looked down at her cup as well.

“As for Mr. McLaggen,” Minerva began again, after a few moments, “I’ll speak to him and tell him to avoid roughening up a fellow Gryffindor on her first evening at Hogwarts.”

Anya smiled a little smile at her and nodded.

“If you have any other problems, you can approach me without hesitation. I would help you out in any way I can,” Her Head of House said, her eyes slightly softening.

“Of course ma’am,” Anya said, setting her teacup down. She stood up from her seat, brushing her robes to straighten them up and then folded her hands to her front.

“Thank you, ma’am, for the tea,” Anya said, smiling slightly. Minerva smiled back slightly.

“Have a good day, Anya,” Minerva said, nodding at her. Anya nodded back.

“You too, madam,” Anya answered, before stepping back and walking towards the doors. She opened and shut them behind her.

Minerva sighed and set her teacup down to lean her head against the back of her chair. She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly.

_Well, if anything else, I’m sure Severus would love to know of this over breakfast…_

____----____----____

Anya sighed as she sat down on the couch in the common room. The chat with her new Head of House had occupied her mind. She had understood what McGonagall meant; she just wanted her to control her temper.

_But it is so damn hard! I mean, half the people here speak of Papa like he’s some sort of criminal who had beaten them all up at some point in their Hogwarts career! Ugh, so what if he has a sharp tongue and an intimidating personality? Apart from that, he’s the best dad anyone could ever have! These morons just can’t take a detention and a few sharp words, can they? We used to get it from him all the time when we worked in the Potions lab with him!_

_“Ugh, Anya! Just stop with the mental shouting, will ya?!”_ Anusha’s sleepy voice butted in grumpily. Anya’s eyes widened as she heard her twin’s voice.

_“Anusha? Why aren’t you awake yet? It’s nearly time for breakfast! Get your ass off the bed now!”_

_“Don’t wanna,”_ Anusha mumbled, yawning slightly.

_“Oh for Merlin’s sake, lazy-ass! Just get going!”_

_“Hey, I’m not lazy-ass! I just appreciate sleeping and lying on the bed more than you!”_

_“You’re incorrigible!”_

_“…And I think I’ll be staying back in my bed for the entire day.”_

_“…You’re doing that just to spite me, aren’t you?”_

_“No. I just feel so good, lying here, in this soft bed, the pillow below my head. Mmmm…”_

_“Anusha Maurya-Snape!”_

_“Just kidding, sis! Jeez! I’m waiting for Tracy to finish her business and then I’m heading in myself!”_

_“Good!”_

Anya could feel her twin rolling her eyes at her and muttering something that sounded like ‘such a mother!’. Anya didn’t bother retorting on her comment.

_“So, what are you ranting about, sis?”_

_“Well, I had a chat with Professor McGonagall,”_ Anya began.

_“Really?”_

_“Yeah. She basically spoke with me about the incident that happened in the common room last night with McLaggen,”_ Anya explained softly.

 _“Uh huh,”_ Anusha murmured.

 _“She basically told me to control my temper since Papa has suffered these morons for a long time,”_ Anya said, her temper flaring slightly as she remembered what she had told her.

 _“I know. Daphne and Tracy told me last night,”_ Anusha said, almost resignedly.

 _“Those two girls you were speaking to in the hall?”_ Anya clarified.

 _“Yep.”_ Anusha nodded.

 _“They seemed nice,”_ Anya commented. Anusha smiled.

 _“Yes, they are. The rest of them are too, but Papa says to be careful around most of them,”_ The Slytherin said.

 _“Okay. But it’s really disheartening for me to learn that Papa goes through this shit every day!”_ Anya said, crossing her arms across her chest angrily.

 _“I know sis. But we’re not in a position to change their minds,”_ Anusha said. Though Anya felt her twin’s anger seeping through their connection, Anusha controlled it. She thought of what her sister said for a moment, before agreeing with her.

 _“Yeah, we’re not. But then, I just get so angry when someone insults my family!”_ Anya said angrily, her blood boiling at the thought.

 _“So do I! But we’ve got to control it somehow,”_ Anusha said gently before Anya felt her sister turning her head to the sound of the door opening.

_“Okay, sis, I’ve got to go. I’ll meet you near the Great hall, ‘kay?”_

_“’Kay! See ya, sis!”_ Anya said, turning her head to the sounds of her dorm mates coming down from the stairs. Anya smiled and stood up to go to them as they came down. Parvati whispered something to Lavender in hushed tones as they trailed behind Hermione and Ginny. They finally straightened up and looked at Anya with a smile. Well, Parvati smiled at her, while Lavender was surprisingly neutral.

“Morning!” Anya greeted them, coming to them.

“Morning Anya!” Hermione said, smiling back at her.

“Morning, girl,” Ginny greeted, smirking at her.

“Are you ready for your first day?” Parvati asked excitedly. Anya chuckled.

“Yes, I am. As ready as I can be,” She answered, as Harry, Ron, and Neville came down as well. Anya noticed two more boys descending behind them. One of them, a white guy with black hair, glared at Harry, while the tall, dark guy sighed exasperatedly.

“Come on, mate,” the boy said, nudging him pointedly. The boy snarled in anger and hit his shoulders against Harry’s while walking past him. The tall boy sighed and looked at Harry apologetically, who glared back at the short boy. Harry looked up at the dark-haired boy and nodded at him. The boy nodded back and walked off to join his friend. His expression turned normal as he looked back at them.

“Morning,” Harry greeted them.

“Hi, Harry!”

“Hey Parvati, Lavender,” Ron greeted, waving at them.

“Hello, Ron,” Lavender said, giving him a coy look. Anya’s eyes widened as she looked at the girl’s posture. In the time that Ron had come down, she had straightened up, put her hands behind her back and had leaned in his direction. She was even fluttering her eyelashes at him to create an effect.

Anya looked at Hermione for confirmation. Hermione nodded.

“She’s had a crush on him since the first year,” Hermione whispered.

“Yeah. It’s been quite… persistent, as you can see,” Ginny murmured to her.

“Ah,” Anya said, nodding as she turned her head to Ron, who seemed totally oblivious to her tone, which made her almost roll her eyes at him.

“And I am correct in assuming that he doesn’t know a thing about this?” Anya asked rhetorically.

“Yeah, you are,” Both girls answered. Anya sighed.

“Boys,” She muttered to herself.

All of them walked out of the common room together. It was a slightly tense silence as they walked towards the Great Hall. No one could forget the scene yesterday. Parvati had too much of the tense silence and decided to break it.

“So, what are your subject choices?” She asked curiously, looking at Anya.

“Well, the main subjects, then Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, with side subjects Latin and Sanskrit,” Anya answered, smiling at her.

Parvati’s eyes widened slightly.

“You’re actually going to give your Sanskrit O.W.Ls?”

“Yep!”

“Why? I mean, you already have taken Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Why put more pressure on yourself?” Parvati asked confusedly.

“Well, I and Anusha wanted to give it our best shot, you know. We just felt that giving the O.W.L.s in those two subjects would help us in the future,” She replied.

“But how will you use the subject? I mean, after the O.W.L.s, it would be useless in any other field,” Harry said, shrugging.

Anya smirked at him.

“It isn’t a useless subject, Harry. We can cast spells in many languages. Latin is just one of them. And it doesn’t matter in what language you cast your spell in; it’s the intention. You can even cast wordlessly. Now, Sanskrit is totally different from Latin, which means that it can be an element of surprise for the opponents if we ever get into a position like that since most of the population only ever bother learning spells in Latin and in no other language. If you don’t know _what_ the opponent is saying, then how would you even block it, huh? There are spells that are resistant to the basic standard shielding charms. It can be a great advantage over your opponents,” Anya explained to the group, who listened with rapt expressions. Parvati nodded, understanding what she meant.

“For example, let’s do a simple experiment,” Anya said, smirking mischievously. She stopped, turned around and took out her wand, pointing it right at Harry, who looked at the wand with wide eyes. Almost immediately with slightly narrowed eyes, his hand went to his wand, an action which Anya noticed with approval.

_So, the lessons have paid off then… Remus and Sirius are really good teachers…_

Anya murmured, “ _प्रक्षलयति **|”**_

Suddenly, Harry’s glasses, which were full of fingerprints and other dirt and scratches, vanished. The glasses looked brand new. Harry took off his glasses, shocked at the newness of them.

“Whoa,” Ron murmured, leaning in to see the glasses as well.

“It’s nothing, Harry. Just the Sanskrit version of _Reparo_ ,” Hermione said, smirking at them.

“But it surprised the hell out of me!” Harry exclaimed.

“Still think it’s a _useless_ subject, Harry?” Anya asked, smirking at him. Harry snorted.

“No,” He said, smirking to himself. Anya shook her head at him as the others started walking again.

“Which subject do you find most difficult Parvati?” Anya then asked after a few moments.

“Transfiguration. It’s basically the theory that makes me frightened of it,” Parvati answered, smiling sheepishly.  Anya smirked back.

“Well, Ma had the same problem with Transfiguration as well,” Anya said, smiling at her before she looked at Lavender, who was listening to the conversation, but not taking part in it. She sighed.

_She must have made quite an impression of me by my behavior yesterday…_

She decided to extend an olive branch by asking, “Lavender, which is the subject you find most difficult?”

The blonde-haired girl looked at Anya for a few moments with an unreadable expression, before smiling and nodding at her.

“I find Potions most difficult! Its practical aspects are really difficult to grasp and on top of that, Snape makes it even more difficult by being an absolute git and favoring the death-eaters-in-training! Ugh, I hate that guy!” Lavender said loudly. Hermione and Anya froze, while Ginny looked wide-eyed at Lavender, then at Anya. Harry and Ron froze as they looked at Anya, slightly fearing her reaction, while Neville cowered at the mere mention of his name.

Hermione face-palmed as she resisted the urge to groan.

_Oh,_ _Merlin! This is great! After what just happened last night!_

Anya, meanwhile, controlled her anger at what Lavender had said.  She clenched her fists tightly and counted to twenty in her mind to calm down. She remembered what Professor McGonagall had told her. And she willed herself to remember that she wasn’t in India, surrounded by some of her stuck-up cousins, but in a school, where there were different people with different thoughts and opinions. She can’t act like that with them as she had with some of the cousins.

_Come on, Anya! You just have to control… keep yourself calm…_

Hermione, having seen her reaction, grabbed her wrist gently and squeezed it. Anya looked at her to see her and Ginny smiling reassuringly at her.

 _Ignore them…_ They seemed to say, _they’re not worth it…_

Anya smiled back and nodded inconspicuously, before looking back at Lavender, who was still ranting about her father’s unfairness.

“It’s okay, Lavender,” Anya said, in a calm tone as they continued to walk, “Everyone has their difficulties. I have a problem with Herbology. It just doesn’t mix well with me! The theory aspect is a bit boring for me. The practical is sort of fun, but still, I don’t really like it.”

“Really?” Neville asked, looking at her, “It’s the easiest subject ever!”

The others smiled exasperatedly.

“Neville here,” Harry gestured to the tall boy, “Is the best student of Herbology in our year.”

The boy blushed at the praise.

“I’m not that good. Hermione is better than me,” Neville stuttered, feeling quite shy at all eyes on him, before looking up.

“I’m scared of Potions as well,” Neville admitted, paling slightly as he thought of the Potions Master. Anya noticed his suddenly pale pallor and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Are you alright?” She asked, looking at him concernedly.

“Neville is scared of Professor Snape,” Harry said before Neville could reassure her.

“Yeah. He is scared of the mere mention of his name!” Ron said, looking at Neville with sympathy.

“And Snape hasn’t done much to assuage his fears as well,” Parvati said angrily, clenching her fists. Anya turned her head to look at the Indian, now listening raptly. Parvati nodded.

The girls made a move to change the subject, but Anya stopped them with an indiscernible shake of her head.

“The git’s always breathing down his neck, making him feel more frightened of him than ever!” Lavender exclaimed angrily, looking at Neville with sympathetically.

“I don’t understand why I get so nervous at the sight of him. Maybe because he’s so scary, or because he’s always just so… critical of me.”

“So much so that Neville’s boggart is Snape!” Harry said suddenly, his eyes blazing slightly. Anya’s head snapped to him, her eyes widening in shock.

“He’s Neville’s boggart?” Anya asked, giving Harry a wide-eyed look. Harry nodded.

“Yes,” Harry said, looking at her almost apologetically. Anya nodded to herself, not commenting on that. It was silent for a few moments after that as everyone was lost in their thoughts.

Hermione seemed to think of something and said, “Tell you what. How about we all go to the library later and catch up with studies? We can deal with Neville’s difficulties as well.”

Anya looked at Parvati and Ginny, who nodded enthusiastically. The boys were a lot less inclined, but they nodded as well. Well, Harry and Neville did. Ron just groaned but turned silent as Hermione shot him a look.

“Okay. I can help you with the tips too,” Anya said, looking at Lavender, who smiled brightly at her.

“Oooh thank you!” Lavender said loudly. Anya winced slightly at the voice, while Hermione and the others laughed nervously.

“Y-You’re welcome,” Anya said, looking at her. After that, the conversation turned to how they spent their summers.

“Well, Ma and Papa took me and my twin Padma to India. We attended my cousin’s wedding,” Parvati said, smiling excitedly as Lavender’s eyes widened.

“You mean your eldest cousin is married?” Lavender asked.

“Yeah. The marriage was beautiful,” Parvati said, sighing before she looked at Anya, Hermione and Ginny, and the boys.

“What did you guys do?” Parvati asked.

“I visited various museums and botanical gardens with Gran in Paris,” Neville said, smiling.

“That’s great, Neville!” Parvati said, nodding before she looked at Anya.

Anya shared a look with Hermione and Ginny with raised eyebrows.

“Well, I and Anusha came here to visit our Granddad and Papa and stayed with them for a while. We were actually introduced to each other by Papa, who knew the Weasleys personally,” Anya said, touching the truth, although not specifying on any part of it. Parvati and Lavender nodded before the Blonde’s eyes gleamed a suspicious gleam.

“Who’s your Papa?” Lavender asked curiously, her gossiping personality surfacing. Anya shrugged.

“Can’t say. All I can say is that he’s a businessman and away most of the time.”

“Is he a _Royale 15_ member?” Lavender shot.

“Yeah, he is,” Anya answered.

“I’ve heard your parents didn’t have arranged marriage,” Parvati remarked curiously. Anya smiled and shook her head.

_Nearly eighteen years to their marriage and it’s still the biggest thing everyone talks about…_

“They didn’t. Papa met her when they were fifteen, asked for a formal courtship in 16 and finally got married when they were about to turn 18.”

“Really?” Hermione murmured, smiling at her, interested to hear more about their Dark and reclusive Potions Master. Anya nodded.

“Yeah,” She answered with a smirk.

“That’s sweet,” Parvati said, smiling.

“So cute!” Lavender gushed, “I wish I could have that too.” She sighed dreamily.

Ron and Harry shared a look and smirked at each other.

_If she knew who ‘he’ in that sentence is, then she’d have a coronary…_

“You must miss your mother a whole lot, right?” Parvati said softly, looking at her with a bit of empathy. Anya smile dimmed, as she nodded.

“Yes,” She breathed, looking ahead. Lavender looked on confusedly at Parvati, who had noticed her look.

“Her mother was murdered five years ago,” Parvati murmured in her friend’s ear softly. Lavender gasped and put a hand on her mouth.

“That’s terrible!” She exclaimed, before looking at Anya with sympathy.

“I am so sorry,” She said. Anya nodded to her, smiling a bit sadly at her before she blinked and looked ahead. They had reached the entrance of the Great Hall, but Anusha wasn’t there yet.

“Hey, guys? I’ll um, I’ll wait for Anusha here. You all go ahead,” Anya said, standing near one of the doors.

“Okay,” Harry said, nodding to her and walking off with the others in the Great Hall. Only Ginny opted to stay. Anya smiled and nodded at her, before leaning against the wall, waiting for her twin’s arrival.

____----____----____

Anusha sighed as she brushed and straightened her shirt and looked at herself through the mirror. She wore a clean, smooth white full-shirt, a dark grey half-sweater and black skirt which reached till her knees. She then reached for the Slytherin tie and looked at it confusedly. Tracy chuckled at her.

“Don’t know how to tie a knot?” Tracy guessed, coming over and taking the tie from her hands and quickly making a knot.

“I’m not used to ties. Indian garb and jeans and shirts are more my forte,” Anusha said, shrugging.

“I must admit, I love some of the clothes the Indians wear. How do you guys maintain sarees?”

“There’s a trick to it. Believe me, I and Anya found it difficult when we had worn it for the first time as well. But we slowly got used to it, although Anya took to it like a fish in water. I took more time to get used to it. Thankfully, we’re allowed to wear western clothes most of our time, since Indian garbs are mostly necessary during society dinners and the numerous festivals we have in our culture,” Anusha explained as Tracy finished tying a knot to the tie and handed it to her.

“Thanks,” Anusha muttered as she took it and set upon the task of putting it on. It was then that Tracy looked up and down at her baggy shirt and knee-length skirt with a critical eye. Anusha noticed the look she was giving her.

What?” Anusha asked, glancing at her uniform to see if it was fine. Seeing that it was fine, she looked up with a confused frown.

 Tracy shook her head and simply took out her wand (Anusha’s hand instinctively went to touch hers, ready to take it out at a moment’s notice) and pointed it at her shirt muttering a few charms under her breath. Anusha glanced down in surprise as she felt her shirt become slightly more fitting in her chest area and her stomach. Her skirt, which had been below her knees, now shrunk so that they were just above her knees.

“Tracy…” Anusha uttered slowly, as she looked down at her dress.

“Relax Anusha,” Tracy murmured as she altered her dress a little, “It’ll look nice, I promise.”

“You sure?” Anusha asked, looking doubtful as she studied herself in the mirror.

“Yep. You look just fine!” Tracy said, nodding in satisfaction as she looked at her again.

“Do you feel comfortable?”

“Yes, very. Thanks a lot, Tracy,” Anusha answered, nodding at the girl with a smile. She smiled back at her.

Anusha then combed her hair, opting to leave it open, though she kept a rubber band, just in case.

 “Your hair looks fine! Now come on,” Tracy said, dragging her away from the mirror and out of the room.

Anusha realized that Tracy’s plan was a bit of a success. She had attracted quite a bit of attention from quite a number of boys and girls as she walked in the common room. Her fifth-year classmates stared at her as she stepped in.

“Would you look at that?” One of the boys whispered to his friends, looking at her slightly leeringly.

“That’s one perfect body, mate!”

“Her hair looks so soft!”

“I wonder what shampoo she uses for her hair. It looks so shiny!” Pansy murmured to Millicent, who nodded in agreement, looking at her enviously.

Daphne opted to stare at her with an amused smirk on her face.

_So, Tracy worked some of the charms on her, huh? Doesn’t make her look half-bad…_

Anusha, meanwhile, ignored them as usual, feeling quite uncomfortable at eyes on her. She stood there for a few moments there, before she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She blinked and turned behind to look back into the dark eyes of Darius Mallory standing right behind her. She looked up at him in surprise as he stared at her. Behind him, the group of boys stared at her unabashedly, while the girl looked between him and her with growing jealousy.

“Your Highness,” Anusha murmured, curtsying along with Tracy.

“Heiress Maurya, Miss Davis,” He murmured back, his voice sounding odd and dry before he walked past her. As he walked past her along with his group, she noticed him staring up and down at her from the corner of his eye. The boys turned their attention to the front, and the girl accompanying Mallory gave her a jealous look as she walked past her. Anusha raised an eyebrow at her as she snarled at her, before walking away. Anusha shook her head at her.

_Some people…_

“Ready to go, Anusha?” Tracy asked, smiling at her. Anusha nodded and nodded at Daphne as she approached them.

“Come on,” Daphne said gesturing them to the entrance of the common rooms.

The walk to the great hall was filled with discussions about the curriculum, their subjects, and their future electives. Anusha was surprised to learn that Daphne and Tracy had taken Ancient Runes as well, though Tracy’s other subject was Care of Magical Creatures and Daphne’s was Arithmancy.

“Hey! That’s what I’ve taken as well,” Anusha said, smirking at her.

“What do you want to do your NEWTs in?”

“Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Defense. I want to become an Unspeakable,” Anusha said, her eyes shining brightly.

“That’s quite ambitious,” Daphne commented, smirking at her.

Tracy was most interested in Herbology and Potions, so she decided to do her dual mastery in Potions and Herbology and become a potions researcher, while Daphne was mostly interested in Healing, so she was aiming for an O in Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology and Defense Against the Dark arts, mainly so that she could continue her NEWTs in the particular subjects.

“Anusha!” Anya’s voice snapped the three out of their discussion and they looked ahead to see her standing just beside the doors of the hall with Ginny.

Anusha smirked as she approached her twin and the beautiful redhead.

“Hey sis,” Anusha greeted them, “Hey Ginny!”

“Hi, Anusha!” Ginny greeted her, smiling. She smiled back at her.

“How was your first evening there, Anusha?” Ginny asked excitedly.

“It was great!” Anusha answered, before looking at the two Slytherins and then back at Ginny.

“Say, you all must know each other, right?” Anusha said, gesturing between them.

There was a slightly tense silence as both parties looked at each other apprehensively. They never interacted with each other, what with all the hatred and the general animosity between the two houses.

“Y-Yes, we do,” Ginny finally answered, looking at Anusha with a slightly strained smile as she turned her head to Daphne.

“Greengrass,” Ginny murmured, nodding at her, her bright blue eyes boring into her icy ones. Daphne blinked at her, looking surprised before she nodded back.

“Weasley,” Daphne murmured back, staring at the Gryffindor, as though seeing her for the first time- her bright, red hair, her freckled, yet beautiful face and blue eyes.

“Davis,” Ginny murmured, nodding at the other Slytherin, who nodded back at her.

“Come on then. Who else are we waiting for?” Anusha said with a smirk. Anya turned her head to the grand staircase to see Harsh coming down with two more Ravenclaws beside him. She smiled.

“Harsh,” Anya said, gesturing to him. Anusha and the others looked at him coming down.

“He’s with you guys as well?” Daphne asked curiously.

“Yes,” Anusha answered, smirking to herself.

One of the two he was talking to was a beautiful Indian girl looking similar to Parvati, with dark hair falling to her waist, while the other was a Blonde haired boy as tall as Harsh, who had a jolly expression on his face as he spoke with the girl beside him. She smiled at him as they came down. Harsh blinked and smiled back at her tentatively.

“Hey!” Anya greeted him as they came to stand with her.

“Hi, Harsh!” Anusha said, while Ginny just waved at them and then at Padma, who waved back with a smile.

“Hello,” He greeted them, while the other two from both sides looked on curiously.

“Harsh, this is Daphne Greengrass and beside her is Tracy Davis,” Anusha said, introducing them to each other. Harsh shook hands with both of them.

“Um, this is Matthias Broderick. He’s with me in the Sixth Year. And this is Padma Patil, the fifth year Prefect. Guys, this is Anya Maurya and beside her is Anusha Maurya, some of my family friends,” Harsh introduced both parties to each other.  Both girls shook hands with them.

“Hello. Nice meeting you,” Anya greeted them with a smile on her face as she shook Matthias’ hand first, before turning to Padma, who smiled back at her.

“You guys are the _Royale 15_ Mauryas, right?” Padma asked.

“Yes,” both girls answered, sighing slightly.

“Nice! You must have met my twin then, Parvati Patil, fifth-year prefect of Gryffindor House?”

“Yes I have,” Anya said, nodding to her, as they walked inside the hall. The Hall was filled with students to the brim.

“I’m yet to meet her, actually,” Anusha said, shrugging as they walked in the hall.

Anya turned to look at Harsh.

“How was your first evening, Harsh?”

The boy blinked at her.

“It was good. The Ravenclaw tower is really beautiful, Anya. There’s no password to the entrance like the other three houses.  It’s a riddle to get in. If you can get in, then good. If you can’t, then wait till somebody else arrives,” Harsh said, smiling slightly as he told her about it. She smiled back softly.

“I’m glad you like it,” She murmured to him, patting his arm. Harsh felt a warmth in his chest at those words. He smiled back and nodded at her.

“Thanks, Anya,” He said softly, before waving at her and walking off to the Ravenclaw table with the others.

Anusha and Anya waved back at him, before walking down the hall to where their friends were sitting.

Parvati and Lavender stared at them as they came in.

“Wow! They’re nearly clones!” Lavender whispered to Parvati, who simply nodded in agreement.

The rest of the Gryffindors and Slytherins stared at them as well. It was one thing hearing about the twins being in rival Houses, and it was another thing entirely seeing them looking near exactly the same, but wearing their house clothes. There was a varied reaction amongst. Some, like most Gryffindors and some upper year Slytherins, were angry that they dared associate with each other even after they were sorted. Some others were intrigued by the fact that two girls, looking entirely similar at passing glance, had personalities different enough to be sorted into Houses that were clearly polar opposites. Some had their opinions, but their political and financial status, which was a lot more than Potters and Malfoys, stopped them from commenting. Some didn’t care at all.

Anusha smiled at her friends, who were all sitting in a group at the Gryffindor table. She saw Hermione and Ron bickering with each other as usual, the Weasley twins with their heads together, plotting some prank, no doubt, and Neville quietly reading a Herbology text while eating his toast.

She then noticed Harry glance at her, before he did a double take and stared at her with a dazed expression on his face, as though he could see no one else in the hall at that moment. She blinked and stared back at him, her face heating up slightly as she stared back at his serene features, before glancing down at her robes, which, after a very careful examination, seemed fine. She then looked back at him carefully and frowned confusedly and realized that he was looking behind her. She turned her head to see a beautiful and familiar Asian girl coming into the hall with a few of her friends. Her friends looked as though they were doing their best to involve her in a conversation, but the girl was still sad.

Anusha felt downtrodden suddenly, though she had no idea why.

_Perhaps I thought that he was staring at me…_

Anusha’s eyes met hers, and for a moment, they held each other’s gaze with curiosity. Anusha saw why Harry liked her. She was beautiful, with large, dark eyes, straight black hair and an innocent expression on her face.

She then seemed to look past her at Harry and give him a smile and waved at him with a blush on her pretty face, before her friends grabbed her and went off to the Ravenclaw table. She looked back to see Harry following her with his eyes, his hand raised in a wave. She looked away and sighed to herself, feeling a bit stupid.

“Anusha?” Anya prompted, snapping her out of her thoughts. The Slytherin looked up at her with raised eyebrows. Anya sent her a questioning look, looking between both houses, before looking back at her.

Anusha smirked.

“Oh. Do we really need to do that? On the first day of school?” Anusha murmured in her twin’s ears, smirking mischievously. Anya returned the smirk as she raised her eyebrow at her.

“Well, fuck it. I don’t care about their rules here. We’ve been together-”

“For fifteen years. I know, Anya,” Anusha finished, with a quirk of her lips.

“Well, no reason to debate here then. Which table?” Anya whispered in her twin’s ear softly.

Anusha seemed to think for a moment, glancing between both tables, before she gestured to the Gryffindor table. Anya chuckled to herself, before gesturing her to the table with a wave of her hand.

“Come on then.” And they went and promptly sat down on the empty space Harry left for them.

The reaction was almost instantaneous. The surrounding students stared at them as though they broke a sacred rule established by the founders themselves. If the twins had noticed, they didn’t care. They simply served themselves some eggs and buttered toast and ate silently ate their breakfast, occasionally murmuring to each other.

Finally, the boy, the same who had given bad looks to Harry in the common room, spoke to Anusha angrily, “What’s wrong with you?!”

The girls looked up from their breakfast and at him with raised eyebrows.

“I’m sorry?” Anusha said, looking at him questioningly.

“GO back to your own table and eat! We have enough of _your kind_ for the whole day without seeing your damn faces at breakfast!”

“I’m sitting here with my sister having breakfast. How’s that being a pain in your ass?”

“Slytherins aren’t allowed to eat with Gryffindors!” he said, his voice echoing throughout the hall, attracting everyone’s attention. Everyone turned to watch as he looked at them angrily. The Slytherins narrowed their eyes as the Gryffindor threatened one of their own. Most of them, like Malfoy and the other fifth years, watched the altercation with interest. They wanted to see how far it’ll go. Others, like Daphne and Tracy, kept their wands at ready and waited. If he got too far, then they’d intervene. Otherwise, they would observe carefully. She was one of them, after all.

Severus almost stood up, but Minerva stopped him immediately by grabbing his wrist.

“Severus, not now,” Minerva hissed to him.

“But Minerva-” Severus whispered, but Minerva shook her head.

 “Remember, Umbridge is watching. And moreover, trust them. Believe me, all girls know how to handle boys his age. If it escalates, we’ll intervene.”

Severus stared at her for a long moment, before nodding reluctantly and turning his head back to watch them closely.

“Well, I’ll be! Did his mother not teach him manners?!” Umbridge spoke up suddenly, attracting the professors’ attention as they turned their heads to look at her.

“If he were attending Hogwarts during the old days, he’d have been slapped senseless for his behavior! The sheer insolence of it! What does he think, speaking like that in a public area! I ought to give him a harsh smacking with a ruler!” Umbridge said, her eyes gleaming maliciously.

The other professors exchanged shocked looks with one another as they heard Umbridge’s words. The look on her face didn’t help them assuage their fears either.

“Professor Umbridge,” Dumbledore spoke up, in a quiet, authoritative manner, “I ought to remind you that such punishments are not to be given by professors. Such punishments are against the policies established by the Board of Governors of Hogwarts.”

Umbridge opened her mouth to speak, but Dumbledore raised a hand to stop her.

“You may hand out detentions and take off points, but you are not to raise a finger against any student," He finished, in the same low voice, though his tone suddenly turned sharper than before.

 Umbridge shut her mouth and straightened up, turning her attention back to the scene.

Meanwhile, back at the Gryffindor table, the girls gave Seamus distasteful expressions.

“Oh really?” Anya muttered, resting her chin on her palm and staring at him.

“YES!” He screamed in her face, standing up menacingly, but hesitated when Anusha gave him a deadly expression.

“Control your voice and sit your ass down,” She murmured to him. He snarled at her, wanting to say what he thought of slimy Slytherins who _dared_ order him around, but the dark-skinned guy sitting beside him clasped his shoulder firmly.

“Seamus, mate, sit down,” He murmured quietly to his friend. The boy, ‘Seamus’ looked at him for a moment, before sitting down with a huff. Anya nodded to the dark-skinned boy, who nodded back at her.

“I’m sorry, but this is quite early in the morning. I’d like to know why you raised your voice at my twin for something incredibly stupid-”

“ _Incredibly stupid?!_ ” Seamus erupted, but his friend stopped him again with a firm shake of his head.

“Oh, yes. Incredibly stupid,” Anya said, looking at him in a condescending manner. He glared at her.

“It’s a rule that Slytherins can’t eat with Gryffindors!” He stated angrily.

“Oh really? Where is it written that they can’t?” Anusha shot at him.

Seamus stopped short, hesitating as he tried coming up with an answer. The twins raised their eyebrows at him.

“Well?” Anya prompted, “Come on. You sound so sure that we can’t eat at the same table.”

“You clearly must’ve read it somewhere in the rulebooks,” Anusha finished, looking at him expectantly.

Seamus’ face turned red in embarrassment.

Seeing his reddened face, the girls ‘ah-ed’.

“You don’t actually know if there are rules which speak against us sitting together, do you?” Anya prompted.

Seamus’ face turned redder in embarrassment.

“So, you had the audacity to sit here and accuse _us_ of breaking rules, without knowing where the ‘sacred rule’ is actually written,” Anusha observed quietly, nodding to herself.

“And you’ve studied at Hogwarts for almost… like, half a _decade_?” Anya said, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I-”

“Next time, please verify your facts before stating them,” Anusha said, giving him a polite smile and going back to her breakfast. Anya went back to her plate as well.

Seamus bristled in anger at the blatant dismissal by one of the Slytherins.

“It _is_ a written rule, stated in ‘Hogwarts: a History’!” He exclaimed, banging his hand on the table. The girls looked up, now annoyed at being interrupted by the idiot.

He sat there confidently, looking completely sure of himself.

The boy turned to Hermione suddenly, who blinked at him in surprise.

“It is there, isn’t it Granger?” He asked, sounding hopeful.

Hermione’s eyes widened as all eyes settled on her. She looked around, looking a bit uncomfortable, but took a deep breath and met his eyes as she prepared to answer him.

“No, Seamus. There isn’t any rule in ‘Hogwarts: a history’ that states that. In fact, the book doesn’t state any rules at all. It’s just the History of Hogwarts, telling us how it started, the important moments happening in its history,” Hermione answered him clearly and confidently.

Seamus’ eyes widened in shock.

“Don’t say that, Granger! Give me something that gets this _slimy snake_ off our seats!” He exclaimed, looking at Anusha with hatred. The Slytherins bristled in anger but controlled themselves.

The twins’ eyes widened as he said ‘slimy snake’.

 _“You’ve got to be fucking with me,”_ Anusha spoke up through their mental connection, looking at Seamus disbelievingly.

 _“Nope. This is true sis,”_ Anya commented, giving Seamus a distasteful expression.

“There must be _some_ rule out there that actually gets _her_ off here!” McLaggen spoke up from a few seats down, smirking at Anya maliciously. Anya glared at him angrily.

 _“Oh, I’ll break his fucking face the next time I see him,”_ Anya murmured dangerously, giving him deadly looks, wanting to stand up and do something, anything, that would wipe the smirk off his face. Anusha, feeling the emotions from her twin, squeezed her hand tightly.

 _“Anya, control. Don’t let him get one up over you,”_ Anusha warned her quietly, glancing at her twin, before turning her head back to Hermione, waiting for her answer.

Hermione turned her head to stare at McLaggen sharply. He simply gave her one of his ‘charming’ smirks, which made her glare at him.

“No, there isn’t any rule that exempts her from sitting here,” Hermione said tartly, glaring at him. McLaggen’s smirk vanished almost immediately.

“But that’s not very nice!” One of the boys close to their seats exclaimed.

“Why should we let her sit here?!” his friend asked, glaring at Anusha.

“She should go back to _her kind_ , where she belongs!”

“There must be something, Granger!”

The twins looked on as one by one, the members of the house started complaining.

_“Anya, what did we get ourselves into?”_

_“A fucking mess, that’s what.”_

“You want to know about rules after studying here for _five years?_ ” Hermione interjected suddenly, starring at them disbelievingly, before sniffing and turning her head away.

Everyone complaining snapped their mouths shut immediately at that.

“Go and read the rulebook in the library, or better yet, ask one of the Professors. Don’t ask me about that.”

“Granger! Show some House solidarity, for Merlin’s sake!” One of the other boys called out from a few seats down, quite near to the Professors’ seats. She turned to stare at him in disbelief.

“What? Do you expect me to start spouting unwritten rules here?! They’re sisters! Leave them be!” Hermione snapped at him, making him shrink back in fear.

“Don’t be silly Granger!” McLaggen spoke up again, “One of them is a fucking _Snake_ , for crying out loud! There must be something-”

“McLaggen, stop asking me about ‘school-rules’! You want to know if there are rules that separate them two, then I’d suggest you search for the ‘rules’ yourself! Otherwise, don’t waste my time,” she snapped at McLaggen, before turning away from him and eating her breakfast silently.

The students looked on for a few moments, before turning back to their breakfast, believing the incident was done with, though they still murmured to each other about what had occurred. The professors were still on guard though. Through their years of teaching _and_ studying there, they knew that a situation between teenagers won’t be resolved so quickly.

Meanwhile, Seamus’ jaw dropped as he looked at Hermione disbelievingly. He then looked at the twins, who simply went back to their breakfast. He saw the Snake shake her head, while his housemate simply sighs and shrugged. They simply ignored him.

Suddenly, his temper shot to the rooftops. For some reason he didn’t know and didn’t care about, he felt highly offended at being ignored by them.

His wand was out and in his hand before he knew it. He stood up and pointed at her, hatred dripping from his eyes. Neither girl reacted, not even for a second, much to his frustration.

The students all turned back to the scene, their murmurs increasing this time.

Seeing the boy take out his wand, the professors stood up. Minerva and Severus rushed out of their seats and to the Gryffindor table.

The girls stiffened slightly as they saw the boy take out his wand and point it at them. Specifically, at Anusha. Anusha, on her part, kept herself calm and cool.

“I’m warning you, you filthy Snake! Either go back to your House table right now or I’ll- I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” Anusha asked, in a deadly voice. Anya took her twin’s hand under the table and intertwined their fingers tightly.

Seamus’ face turned slightly red as he opened his mouth to fire a spell at her.

“Mr. Finnegan!” McGonagall’s voice rang through the Great Hall. The murmurs in the hall stopped as everyone turned their heads to watch the Heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin, who rushed to the table to intervene.

Both the professors glared at him angrily as they stopped to where they were.

“What is the meaning of this behavior, Mr. Finnegan?” McGonagall asked sharply, giving him one of her sharpest looks. He shrank back in fear but straightened up again.

“Ma’am, a Slytherin’s sitting on the Gryffindor seats!”

“Yes, well, I saw that perfectly well from my seat at the high table, Finnegan! That does not warrant you to pull your wand on a girl, let alone a new transfer student on her first day of classes!”

“B-B-But ma’am, there are rules against this! No Gryffindor should eat at the same table as a Slimy Snake!”

Severus’ jaw clenched and he prepared to take action, but Minerva beat him to it.

“Ten points from Gryffindor for your use of Slang, Finnegan!” McGonagall erupted angrily, glaring at him in anger.

Everyone looked at her in shocked silence. It was a rare occasion that Head of House of Gryffindor herself took points from her own house.

The hall erupted with murmurs again, this time louder than before.

“You would do well to remember that the professors, all from different houses, including Slytherin, take our meals together!”

Seamus’ eyes widened in shock.

“B-B-But that’s different!”

“No excuses, Finnegan! Be glad that I’m not the one taking action!” Severus said, glaring at Finnegan fiercely.

The girls looked on as the boy shrunk back in fear.

“I am most severely disappointed in your behavior, Mr. Finnegan! And that too on the first day of classes!” Minerva exclaimed, giving him a disappointed look. The boy, ‘Finnegan’, looked down, feeling ashamed suddenly at being scolded by her.

“Sorry, ma’am,” He mumbled. His Head of House glared at him for a long moment, before nodding stiffly.

“See that it never happens again,” She said, before turning to get back to the Head table. But she stopped and turned back to him.

“And, lastly, for your information, no. There are no rules that actually speak against a Gryffindor and a Slytherin taking meals together, Mr. Finnegan,” McGonagall stated clearly, before glaring at him again.

“And where anyone takes their meals is of no business of yours,” Snape added.

“Just be glad that I didn’t take a more severe step with you,” McGonagall finished, before going back to the Professors’ seat. Severus gave him one last deadly look as well, before walking behind her back to the table.

Seamus glared a deadly glare at Anusha as he sat down.

“You cost us House points, you filthy snake!”

Anusha clenched her fists. She had enough. She simply slammed her foot down on the boy sitting across from her, making him grunt painfully and trapped his wrists in her palms in a vice-like grip. He tried pulling his wrists away from her grasp but in vain. She held them tightly.

“Leave my hands you fucking -”

She gave him one of the deadliest looks she could muster. It effectively shut him up almost immediately. She gave him a cold smile, which made him gulp slightly.

“Now, my turn,” Anusha said softly. The tone sent shivers down the spines of everyone who was listening in the area.

“First of all,” Anusha began in a deadly tone, “Please, stop using the phrase, ‘filthy snake’ when you’re speaking to me, or anyone else. It’s highly offensive and I think I’ve heard that particular phrase enough times for a day. I have a name, Anusha Maurya. Use it. Otherwise, don’t waste your time talking to me.

“Second of all, the drama that unfolded here a few moments ago was all your doing. I didn’t coerce you into doing anything. In fact, I didn’t even know you before this. All I did was sit here and take breakfast with my sister quietly until you decided to make a huge scene out of it. I don’t care what you think of me, but you want to state your opinions, please try and be calm and cool about it,” She stated quietly, before letting him go.

The boy pulled his hands away and opened his mouth again, but his friend clasped his shoulder firmly. They shared a long look with each other before his friend nodded and gestured him to eat his breakfast.

After the incident, everyone turned back to their own breakfast, although they murmured to each other and stared at the twins, who all but ignored them.

When it was nearly time for their classes, the Heads of Houses went and distributed them their respective timetables. The twins compared their timetables to check their classes.

The Gryffindors shared some classes with the Slytherins, like Potions, Charms and Transfiguration, History of Magic and Defense, but the point of difference was in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Where the Slytherins had Ancient Runes with Ravenclaws, the Gryffindors had Ancient Runes with the Hufflepuffs. And while Anusha had the Arithmancy class with Hufflepuffs, Anya had it with Ravenclaws.

As the breakfast ended, they all stood up and started walking out of the hall for their classes.

Anusha walked with her twin, the Trio, the Weasley twins, Ginny and Neville as they walked to the doors. Daphne and Tracy joined her as they walked out of the hall towards the classes. Malfoy and his cronies followed them, along with the rest of her Housemates.

Anusha glanced at Harry to find him staring at Cho as she walked past him to the dungeons. He sighed as she disappeared below the staircase. He then turned his head at her and smiled reassuringly. She smiled back.

“That was some incident during breakfast,” Daphne commented casually as they walked to the Charms classroom. Anusha turned her head to Daphne.

“Oh, was it?”

“Yes. No one pulls that kind of stunt, Anusha,” Tracy said softly, “In fact, I don’t think the upper years were impressed by your show of bravado at all. They even called the behavior ‘treacherous’. This isn’t good, Anusha.”

“Why? Because I went and sat with _my sister_ during breakfast? It’s just a damn seat, for Merlin’s sake!”

“But for your first day, it was too much. You could’ve waited for a few days, you know.”

“Why? Why should I stop doing something just because it’s an unwritten rule?”

Tracy had no answer to that. Daphne, on her part, simply smirked and shook her head at them.

“You really are something, Maurya. Catching everyone’s attention during the first day itself,” Daphne remarked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Anusha smirked back as they entered the Charms class.

The Charms class was a large classroom with desks arranged on either side. There were windows at the far end of the classroom, which proudly displayed the view of the forests and the huge Black lake, which disappeared in the horizon.

Professor Flitwick stood between the rows, on top of thick tomes stacked up together just so he could be on the students’ eye level. But the difference in height didn’t deter him, nor did it give the students the wrong impression.

The students all sat down in their respective seats. Anusha and Anya sat together, close enough to listen and have a good viewpoint to their Charms professor. The trio across from them. Ron and Harry went on talking about Quidditch matches and tactics, while Hermione rolled her eyes at them. The twins chuckled at her expression, before looking ahead to their teacher as he cleared his throat.

“Good morning, fifth years!” He greeted them jovially, silencing them almost immediately and effectively.

“Welcome to the first day of your OWL classes! Now, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how significant this year is for all your careers. And especially to all those wanting to have a Charms NEWTS for their respective jobs. So, this is a word of caution for all those who have been taking it lightly all these years. Start working now. If you don’t, then there would be consequences for you all, grave consequences.”

“So, let’s start with the first lesson for your fifth year. This topic is one of the most important topics in your syllabus. Today, we’re going to study the basic aspects of…”

 _It’s finally started…_ both girls thought as he started giving the basics of the disillusionment charm.

____----____----____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks for reading and leave your comments and kudos. See ya!


	12. Potions, Defense, fucking things up and... just basically school life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people! First chapter in the new year! Really excited about this! And well, this day also marks the day when Alan Rickman passed away. RIP, Professor Snape. This chapter is dedicated to you...
> 
> And also, please like and comment on the chapter...

*****~~WIWATTD~~*****

**Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J.K.Rowling. I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however, are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I’m not using any of** _them_ **as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.**

_CHAPTER XII_

It was almost noon when they entered the Great Hall for lunch. By that time, the whole school was well into gossiping about them. The girls ignored the sudden silence as they went and sat down on the Slytherin table this time. The table turned silent for a few moments as everyone stared at the girls before they turned to Mallory.

Mallory had a shocked expression on his face.

“Smith. Remind me to have a _conversation_ with that kid Maurya when we’re back in the common room,” Mallory murmured, staring at Anusha as he spoke to the boy beside him.

“Yes, your grace,” Smith answered promptly.

The other Slytherins observed the Maurya twins as well. They didn’t react as Seamus had, but they instead quelled their desire to raise the issue behind the walls of the Slytherin common room. They simply sat in silence, watching them carefully, curious enough for Anusha to look at them and raise her eyebrow at them, which made them go back to their lunch.

The Fifth year Slytherins looked at Anya closely, more curious than incensed with a Gryffindor in their midst.

“Hi, Anya,” Daphne murmured softly, nodding to the Gryffindor with a smile.

“Hello, Daphne,” Anya said, nodding back to her and the other Slytherins beside her.

Daphne and Tracy nodded back and went back to their lunch respectively. Pansy stared at her with an unreadable expression for a few moments, before looking away with pursed lips. Anya raised her eyebrows at her as she shared a look with Anusha, who simply shook her head. Anya shrugged and went back to her lunch.

After a few minutes, Blaise entered the hall and came to their table and sat down beside Draco, right in front of Anusha.

“Hey Draco,” the handsome Italian greeted him with a smirk as he sat down.

“Blaise,” Draco murmured glancing at his friend, “Where were you all this time?”

“Well,” Blaise said, his smirk deepening as he took a sip of water, “I had this… odd encounter with one of the Slytherin girls in the fourth year. Adler, I think. She… wanted something from me.”

The twins looked up at the Italian with raised eyebrows at his implication.

Draco smirked at him.

“Oh. Did she get what she wanted?”

“You can say that,” Blaise said, looking smug as he looked up at him. Draco snorted and shook his head at his friend.

Blaise unfolded the napkin on his lap and looked up to see Anusha concentrating on her sandwich quietly. Surprisingly, her twin sat right beside her. His eyes widened slightly as he glanced sideways to the rest of the Slytherins sitting. The girls were getting quite a bit of attention from them as they whispered and murmured to each other. He even saw some of them glaring at Anusha fiercely. He sighed and shook his head at them, before turning back to the twins and putting on a charming smirk that usually made girls blush.

“Well good afternoon, Heiress Maurya!” Blaise said charmingly, smirking at her. The girls looked up for a second in surprise, before Anusha composed herself and nodded at him.

“Heir Zabini,” Anusha murmured back to him in greeting, before gesturing to her twin, who looked at their interaction curiously.

“This is my twin sister, Anya Maurya,” Anusha murmured, gesturing between them, “Anya, this is Heir Blaise Zabini. He’s in our year.”

“Oh yeah, I noticed,” Anya murmured back, reaching out to shake his hand with a polite smile. Smirking back, he shook it with a nod.

“A pleasure meeting you, Heiress.”

“You too, Heir Zabini,” Anya said, pulling her hand back picking up her glass of pumpkin juice to take a sip. There was a moment of silence as they concentrated on their respective lunch.

“So, how are you settling in here, Heiresses?” Draco asked curiously, looking up from his lunch. The twins and Blaise and the other fifth years looked up from their plates to stare at Draco for a moment. The twins glanced beside them to see almost the whole row of Slytherins whispering and murmuring and staring at them.

_“Sis, I can bet that my Housemates must be glaring at me right now.”_

_“Yup. After what happened this morning, I can bet you that they wouldn’t stop doing that any time soon.”_

“Yes, we are. It’s great here. Although, I’d rather not have people staring and glaring at me unnecessarily just because I’m having lunch with my twin,” Anusha said, a bit loudly, looking at the other Slytherins sitting around her with a piercing expression. They immediately turned back to their own lunch, some of them having a mortified expression on their faces.

 Blaise chuckled quietly as he looked back at Anusha.

“I must say, you have the knack of unnerving people with just one look.”

Anusha smirked slightly.

“So people say. Is it that creepy?”

“No. In fact, I think that it’s good, having an attitude that keeps people at a distance.”

“Hmm. We don’t have this kind of attitude all the time. Just, we like to let them think that they can’t walk all over us just because we’re polite to them.”

The others hummed as they nodded to the twins’ explanation quietly.

“Can I ask you two something?” Pansy asked, quietly for a change. The girls looked up at the girl.

“Yes?”

“We’ve never heard about your father. I mean, we’ve been told that he’s a businessman who’s traveling a lot and that he’s from a _Royale 15_ family.”

“Yeah, he is from a _Royale 15_ family.”

“Then why all the secrecy?”

The girls looked around them to find the entire fifth year staring at them, waiting for an answer. They then exchanged a look with one another and nodded to one another.

“Our parents had their reasons,” Anya spoke up.

“We never questioned them, you know. We just figured that they liked their relationship private,” Anusha continued.

“And, well, our mother’s death hurt him quite a bit a bit. So, he was determined not to settle back in the house we grew up. Our Ma’s death changed him.”

“He visited us regularly, but it was hard for him to cope with her loss,” Anya finished.

The others nodded in understanding.

“I’m sorry about your mother,” Daphne murmured. The girls nodded at her with a subdued smile.

“It’s okay. It was five years ago,” Anusha said, before diverting all of her attention to the rest of her lunch. The others fell silent as well, not wanting to say anything else.

The rest of the lunch passed on silently, with everyone speaking amongst each other quietly.

After lunch ended, they stood up and walked off to the dungeons with the others for Double Potions. The girls walked on with the trio, with the Slytherins behind them, scattered in the crowd as they climbed down the staircase to the dungeons.

The dungeons were filled with the murmurings of the fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins. The girls stood with the trio and Daphne and Tracy in a corner near the door, talking about their home when Parvati and Lavender walked over to them. Seamus grabbed Parvati’s hand to stop her.

“Patil, that’s a slimy snake, for fuck’s sake!”

Parvati looked at him with anger.

“I don’t need _your_ permission to talk to someone! Leave my hand or I’ll break the fucking thing! And you know what happened the last time someone did that right?”

Seamus’ face paled and he left her hand quickly and backed off. Parvati took a deep breath to calm herself.

The two girls then approached the Maurya twins, hesitant as they saw Daphne and Tracy standing with them.

“What are _they_ doing with _her_?”

“Lavender, it’s alright. They aren’t going to bite. Keep calm,” Parvati whispered to her friend before walking over to her housemate, all but ignoring the two Slytherins standing with her twin.

“Hey Anya,” Parvati said, smiling at her.

“Hey, Parvati! This is my twin, Anusha Maurya. Anusha, this is Parvati Patil, Padma’s twin sister, and another fifth-year prefect,” Anya said, gesturing to the Gryffindor.

Anusha shook hands with her.

“Hello. Nice meeting you,” Parvati said, smiling brightly at her.

“Yes, nice meeting you too. Congratulations on your cousin’s wedding. I’m sorry that we couldn’t attend it. We knew your cousin Riya since she was first babysitting us back at home,” Anusha said, smiling at her. Parvati smiled back, before gesturing to the blonde beside her.

“And this is Lavender Brown.”

Anusha nodded to the blonde haired girl, who thrust her hand forward in hesitation.

“H-hello,” She said, shaking hands with her, pulling it back quickly. Anusha looking at her with slight confusion.

“Are you quite alright?” The Slytherin asked curiously. The blonde nodded quickly.

“Yes, I’m fine!”

Just then, the Potion class door opened with a bang and out stepped their Papa, with flowing black robes, his black cloak sweeping the stone floors, his glare silencing the crowd in a second. The twins exchanged a brief look.

 _“Wow,”_ Anusha said to her through their connection.

 _“Yeah, right? I thought that Harry and the others were exaggerating about him, but the tales are true,”_ Anya murmured back.

“In, now!”

The students went to the class without a word.

The potions classroom was a huge circular class, where the walls were made of cold, hard stone with wooden long benches and sitting stools. Half of the wall at the front was covered with shelves full of slimy, disgusting, and smelly potions ingredients. The classroom gave the girls the creeps. Now they understood.

 _“Gee, no wonder he’s called the vampire of Hogwarts by the younger students…”_ Anya said sarcastically through their connection. Anusha smirked slightly, before pulling her twin to the front bench and sat down quickly. Hermione paired up with Neville, Harry and Ron paired up together behind them and Daphne and Tracy sat behind the girls. Draco was sitting with Pansy, Blaise with Theo and Parvati sat with Lavender a few benches behind. Seamus glared at Anusha and Anya from his bench, which was quite far from them. Anusha rolled her eyes at him and looked away, giving him a clear message.

While each Professor had their own ways of making the students listen to them, their Papa didn’t do anything. His presence in the class was enough for everyone to listen to him. And he didn’t raise his voice at all here. Just like he had done in the common room yesterday, Anusha noted.

**_*“Before we begin today’s lesson, I think I should remind you that you are going to sit for your O.W.L.s next June. Now, this examination will show how much you’ve learned in these five years about magical potions. Moronic as half of you are, I expect at least an ‘acceptable’ from you. Lest you face my… Displeasure.” He looked at Neville and he gulped._ **

**_“I only expect the best of you to study in my N.E.W.Ts classes. Only students getting outstanding in potions will continue my class in the sixth year. So some of us will certainly be saying goodbye.”_** He gave Harry a pointed look, but he stared back with an almost emotionless expression. The only sign that he had heard him was the slight clenching of the jaw as he stiffened in slight anger.

“But, we still have a year for that. Right now, instead of focusing on farewells, I expect you to concentrate on your O.W.Ls and pass them with a high score. Today we will be making a Potion that is often asked in both the theory and the practical: Draught of Peace. Now, this potion could only be brewed correctly by someone is adept at measuring and adding the ingredients correctly and at the right order.

And be aware, that if you make even a single mistake, then the consequences would be very drastic. You may even render the dosed into a permanent sleep. This is an extremely important Potion and some of the ingredients are very important and hence would be given in only the exact amount as is required in the Potion. You waste a single ingredient, you get a zero this class. The instructions to brew are on the board, the ingredients are in the cupboard, you have an hour and a half. Begin.”

The class was almost dead silent as everyone set themselves on their tasks. The girls shared a silent look with one another and nodded, their tasks clear to them. Anusha went to the cupboard stores to get the ingredients, while Anya prepared the cauldron and the instruments for the Potion. As she waited for her twin to get the ingredients, she chanced a look around the class. Everyone was doing their own work. Draco read on from his Potions book, all the while doing his best to ignore Pansy, who had a tongue inside his ear, quite literally. His whole body was stiff, tensed and his face was twisted in disgust as she practically pressed herself to him. Anya felt pity for him. She had heard of his betrothal with her from her twin and truly felt sorry for him.

_I would be equally uncomfortable in that kind of situation… Thank Merlin Papa and Ma didn’t put either of us in that situation, else our lives would’ve been very different right now…_

She turned her attention in front to where Neville was sitting. His hands were practically shaking with fear as he turned the pages of his book. His eyes were constantly darting from the pages to the tall, fearsome presence in front of him that stared at him with a cold, expressionless face. His breathing increased as he desperately tried to read and remember all the information that was in the book. She frowned as she looked up to her Papa, who went on glaring at him.

_What is he doing?! Is he actually ignoring the fact that Neville has anxiety issues? He has him as a boggart, for Merlin’s sake!_

“Sis?” Anusha’s voice broke her out of her thoughts. She turned to look at her twin, who raised an eyebrow at her curiously.

“What’s up? Are you alright?”

Anya nodded, reigning her anger for now.

“Good. Let’s begin. You remember this potion?”

Anya smirked at her.

“Obviously,” Anya said, imitating her father, “I remember. He taught us this when we were 13.”

“Let’s begin then.”

Anya nodded and worked on getting the water at the right temperature. When everything was set, they began cutting and adding ingredients in the water, making sure to give the correct amount of stirs and make it in time. The potion was supposed to take an hour and a half to make, so if they messed it up, they’d know.

Time flew by as they worked quietly, every one of them, even Ron and Harry, though Harry kept squinting at the board and Ron cut the roots in irregular sizes. Neville avoided the Potions Master’s gaze as he worked with Hermione to get the Potion right.

When the time was almost over, their father took a walk around the class examining the potions. He passed Hermione and Neville’s potion, which had a silvery mist rising from it. He ignored the Potion and snapped his eyes to Neville, who shivered at the cold look directed at him.

“Longbottom, since you didn’t blow up the cauldron or ruin the Potion for once,” He sneered, “perhaps you could grace us with your intelligence and tell us the ingredients used for the Potion?” He asked in a low voice.

Anya didn’t like the sound of his voice, and from the stiff countenance of her twin beside her, she didn’t like his tone either. But neither of them commented on that, for now.

Neville stuttered and stammered under the Potions Professor’s harsh gaze. His face went red as he tried answering the question.

“Snap out of it boy! Or are you that moronic to actually not answer that question?”

Hermione opened her mouth to answer the question, but one look from the Professor snapped her mouth shut.

“One word from you Granger and I’ll deduct twenty points from Gryffindor,” He snapped, glaring at her.

The girls could hear snickers from behind them and they turned to see Draco and the others laughing quietly to themselves. Blaise, Theo and Daphne, and Tracy were the only ones to stand quietly. They looked ahead again, feeling angrier than before.

“Ignore them,” Daphne murmured to them, “They’re just idiots.”

“How can P-Professor Snape act like this? He can see that Neville’s anxious!” Anya hissed at her. Anusha shushed at her.

“Anya, not now,” Anusha hissed at her twin, “His behavior is unfair, but we can pick that up after the class.”

They turned their attention back to him. Anya clamped down on her anger as she looked on at the scene.

“Ten points from Gryffindor, Longbottom, for your inane chatter,” He murmured softly. Neville hung his head in shame. Hermione patted his shoulder reassuringly and whispered to him as the Potions Master made his way to the girls’ table.

Now, all eyes were on the girls, slightly expectant to see their reactions to the Professor. He stared at them with a cold, expressionless face. Anya stared back at her Professor with the same cold expression that he was giving her. Anusha glanced at her sister and back to her father, who held her gaze with the same expression she was giving him.

“Ms. Maurya,” He said slowly, in his low drawl, turning to look at Anusha, “Since you and your sister are one of few rare students in this band of utter dunderheads who have attempted to get the Potion correctly, then you may at least be able to get full for this practical. But, your practical skills aren’t the only thing that is tested in your O.W.Ls. So, answer me this- if you’ve indeed been taught this potion before and if you’re actually worth all the knowledge that your progress reports seem to show,” He said in a condescending tone, much to Anusha’s shock and slight anger, who appeared slightly insulted by his tone, “Then you might answer this. Which other potions use Powdered Porcupine quills and Powdered Unicorn Horns as one of their main ingredients?”

“No other Potions use these two ingredients, Professor. The ingredients are used in this particular potion only,” Anusha answered promptly.

The Potions Master looked at her for a few moments, before giving a single nod.

“Ten points to Slytherin, Ms. Maurya, for giving an answer to the point,” He said. Anusha bowed her head for a moment, before looking up again. She could hear her Housemates whispering to themselves, while the Gryffindors muttered angrily to themselves.

“But,” He spoke up again, making her look up at him, “do remember to elaborate the next time. That answer is not nearly enough to get you full marks in the theory exam,” He spoke softly. Anusha nodded.

“Slimy Snake!” Finnegan said, looking at her hatefully. Anusha looked back at him with a confused expression.

_Why? Because I answered a question correctly, that’s why?! What the fuck kind of reaction is that?!_

“Ten points from Gryffindor, Finnegan, for talking in class!” The Potions master snapped.

Finnegan snapped his mouth shut immediately at that, silently fuming.

“Good one, Finnegan!” Lavender muttered to herself.

“Ms. Maurya,” he then addressed Anya, who gave him a blank expression.

“Since your Housemates are stupid enough to cost house points that nearly sent Gryffindor to negatives, I think you, of all people, might be able to answer two of my questions. And, if you answer them correctly, then maybe I’ll give back at least half the points that I took from those two dunderheads.”

Anya gave a single nod. Two sets of identical eyes met each other with a cool expression.

“First. The syrup of Hellbore is rarely used in Potion-Making. Only three Potions require the use of Syrup of Hellebore. One of them is the Draught of Peace. Name two other Potions that use the Syrup of Hellebore, if you have the ability to remember them.”

Anya nodded and started counting out, “The two other Potions are- The Volubilis Potion and Potion no. 86.”

“Potion no. 86?”

“It is more of an experimental mixture containing The Syrup of Hellebore and Powdered Moonstone. It is a highly poisonous mixture.” She answered promptly.

“Give me a description of Volubilis Potion.”

Anya stiffened slightly. Anusha’s eyebrows raised to her hairline.

 _“Oh, Merlin. He **still** remembers that mock test he took of us two years ago,” _ Anya muttered to her twin through their connection, while Anusha laughed nervously.

 _“Well, now we know he was being serious about what he had said. He made us write that potion about ten times before he left,”_ Anusha said, reminiscing about the incident.

On the outside, however, the girls didn’t react at all.

“Volubilis Potion is a potion that alters the drinker's voice. It will also restore their voice if they have lost it, and thus will end the effects of the Silencing Charm. The main ingredients of the potion are- Honey-water, Mint sprigs, Stewed Mandrake, and Syrup of Hellebore.

“To brew this potion, we must heat the initial mix of ingredients until it turns red, then green. Next, we’ll add Honey-water until the liquid turns pink. The brew has to be heated again, this time until it turns orange. When mint sprigs are added, the potion turns into a shade of green. The potion has to be heated once more until it turns blue. Then, more mint sprigs are to be added. By this time the potion should be have turned pink again. Stewed Mandrake is to be added next, at which point the potion turns orange. A small amount of Syrup of Hellebore should be added next, turning the potion blue. To finish the brew, one has to heat the potion until its red and heat it some more until it turns a pleasant yellow. Once finished, the potion should release some sparks.”

The Slytherin head stared at her for a few moments, before he nodded at her.

“Well, you’re certainly not like your housemates,” He remarked, “That would do well enough for your theory. Although, you need to brush up the answer a bit more. Nevertheless, Fifteen Points to Gryffindor,” He spoke up. Anya nodded.

The whole class stared at their Potions Professor with a shocked expression. It was one of the Rarest cases that their Potions Professor awarded points to one of the Gryffindors. And that too, fifteen Points! All they needed were five more points to get back to the level they had been in before Double-Potions.   

He noticed the stares and gave them all a withering look that made them look away quickly. After that, the class went back to normal.

He went to Harry and Ron’s table and sneered down at the nearly messed up potion, which was giving out cement colored mist. He looked up in his eyes with a distasteful expression.

“Potter, you do know how to read, don’t you?” He asked him. Harry clenched his jaw and glared a bit at the Potions professor.

_Can’t he stop treating me like this?!_

 “Yessir.”

“Excellent. Humor me, please. I want to know what the fifth point is,” He said, leaning casually against their workbench. Harry glared at the professor’s back and looked at the board. His eyes squinted as he tried reading the instructions. Anusha noticed him straining his eyes to read and frowned.

_Wow, even with his glasses he has to squint at the board… He needs to have his eyes checked…_

Harry somehow read the instruction with difficulty and realized his mistake. He didn’t add the syrup of Hellbore. His face heated a little in embarrassment.

“I would’ve thought that you would acquire some brains since it’s your fifth year. But, alas, it seems I’ve overestimated you.”

Harry clenched his fists, almost ready to lash out, but barely keeping himself in control as he remembered what Anusha taught him.

 _Remember Harry, there would be times when you would be tempted to say things in anger, but control yourself, please… that anger is temporary and would serve nothing but push you away from the others, and trust me, you don’t need that…_  

“Remember this, Potter, if you can’t remember anything else. You need an O in O.W.Ls if you wish to continue with Potions. I accept only those students who score an O in Potions. Though I’d have a better time not having you in my class. Unfortunately, all major professions require at least an O or an E in Potions to get through. Those professions include Aurors, Unspeakables, Healers, curse breaking, and the like,” He said, in the same low, silky voice that sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

“For those who would be choosing the aforementioned careers, make up your minds quickly. Or you’ll be forced to choose something that is not what you’re after.”

He then vanished the potion and said, “Zero for this Potion, Potter, and Weasley. Meet me after class.” And stalked off.

He continued his rounds of the class and told them to submit their respective Potions and clean up their desks. Everyone got to work, pouring their Potions in their respective flasks and cleaning up the mess. Soon enough, the class was over.

“There will be a quiz on this class next time. I expect you to at least pass in this test,” He murmured, before dismissing them promptly.

The girls picked up their bags and walked towards their classes when Seamus brushed past them, his shoulder hitting Anusha’s.

“Slimy Snake!” He muttered to her, glaring at her hatefully, before walking out. Anusha rolled her eyes at his behavior.

“Okay, now that’s getting old,” Anusha murmured to her twin, who hummed in agreement. She looked to her side to see Neville having a distraught expression and Hermione trying to encourage him.

She and Anusha looked back to see Harry and Ron held back by their father. He looked to them and nodded at them subtly. They nodded back quickly, before walking out of the class with their peers.

Severus watched his girls walk out of the class and sighed to himself.

 _Finally,_ _it’s over… they were good enough, although they need to work through their answers, at least they knew more than these dunderheads… And they’ve done well to remember the Volubilis Potion… they’ll encounter it in the future again…_

Soon enough, the class was empty and only Severus and the boys remained. Severus spelled the door shut with a flick of his wrist. And locked it.

The two Fifth year Gryffindors flinched at the sound of the bang and looked at him with barely concealed dread as they thought of the huge dent their hourglass would have by the end of this. And this was after Anya earned back the points that Seamus and Neville lost all on her own.

 _Oh,_ _Merlin… Anya’s going to be pissed…_ both boys thought simultaneously.

Severus, meanwhile, stared at the boys standing in front of him for a few long moments. He sighed after a while.

“Now, let’s make it quick, shall we? I have no interest in seeing you two in my office for longer than necessary and judging by your expressions, you don’t want to be here either.”

The boys nodded quickly.

“Do you both know what was wrong with your Potion, Gentlemen?” He asked.

Harry nodded.

“Yes, sir. We forgot to add the syrup of Hellbore in the Potion. That is why we failed to make the potion properly,” Harry answered, resisting the urge to face-palm. How could he forget something as simple as this?

“Quite astute, Mr. Potter. I have absolutely no idea how Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley or my daughters spend their free time around you dunderheads. Despite being two-thirds of the ‘Golden Trio’ you both have not had an ounce of concentration or focus. Even you Potter, after the lessons Anusha gave you. You both will report to me this evening at seven to make the potion again. Don’t. Be. Late.”

The boys nodded, expecting him to take away the points again.                           

Severus sighed and shook his head at the two of them.

 _These two will be the death of me…_  

“For just this once, I’m not taking points from Gryffindor.” They snapped their heads to look at him with their jaws hanging open.

_No house points taken? What’s wrong with Snape?_

“I’m not about to take away the points that my daughter earned because you two can’t focus and concentrate enough to make a decent potion. So, I’m leaving you two for just this once. However, if you repeat this mistake, I’ll be awarding you no marks, and you’ll be in detention for the rest of the term. During Quidditch tryouts and practices,” he finished, smirking slightly at the shocked expressions of both the Gryffindors. They somehow composed themselves and nodded quickly.

“Good. Dismissed.”

They all but ran out of his class. As the door banged shut behind them, he sighed tiredly.

 _Oh,_ _Merlin… this is the first day of classes… I feel like fleeing this twice-damned place… ugh, why did I ever to do this?!_

____----____----____

 

Anusha sighed as she leaned back against her chair in the library, staring back at the parchment in relief. It was her Transfiguration assignment, which was due on Monday. The parchment was one and a half foot long, describing in detail the importance of the four branches of Transfiguration- Transformation, Untransfiguration, Vanishment, and conjuring.

She took a few minutes to cross-check to see if everything was fine. When it was, she rolled up her parchment and kept it in her book bag.

_Finally, it’s over…_

Their first week at Hogwarts passed quite quickly, and it was just as hectic as they had been told it would be. The professors had their own versions of ‘O.W.L.S’ year speech made up for them, which was all really similar, just a few corrections in between. All of them went on and on about how their own subject was important and how difficult it was going to be for them all, especially for those who were weak in that particular subject. They were warned that they would be piling up homework at them from day one. And they delivered, actually delivered. By Wednesday, they had five different assignments to complete and that was excluding the assignments that they would get from the other professors. And on top of that, the professors loved taking class tests on their past knowledge. So, it was revising the past material, plus completing the assignments, plus studying this year’s material as well. Apart from that, all they did was sleep, wake up, and worked on their basic needs for the day. And it was becoming slightly stricter with the new DADA professor, Dolores Umbridge.

Thinking about the professor made Anusha clench her teeth tightly. To say that she was bad was an understatement. She was the most incompetent Professor and woman Anusha had ever met. As it was, she had no expectations from the Undersecretary of the Minister of Magic. She had heard her _Nana_ and Raman _mama_ discussing her one time during dinner a few years ago. Her racist attitude and belittling everyone who wasn’t a _pureblood_ had made her a distasteful person in the girls’ eyes. That made her a hypocrite as well since she herself was a half-blood. Plus, their seniors had complained on and on about how incompetent and useless she was, how she made them read the most basic of materials that even first years could handle and how irritating her ‘ _hem hem’_ and high-pitched giggle had been. So, they had been prepared.

She didn’t disappoint them. She was just as their seniors had described. Clad in pink, she literally resembled a toad with her large face, bulging baby blue eyes, and puckered lips.

She had entered the class by saying, _‘Good Afternoon, Class!’_ in a simpering, high-pitched tone that made them feel like five-year-old kids on the first day of kindergarten. Then, she told them to put their wands away and take out their parchment and quills.

Anusha would always remember the neat, cursive handwriting on the board, saying ‘Defense against the Dark Arts: A return to the basic principles’. She began by saying that their studies had been so ‘fragmented’ because of the ‘incompetent’ teachers they had until now. She remembered Harry’s angry emerald green eyes and she knew. Remus had been one of those ‘incompetent’ Professors. But fortunately, he remained silent and closed his eyes to take a few deep breaths to reign in his anger. When he opened his eyes, the traces of anger were gone from his face. He looked at the woman, totally disinterested in her chatter. She had refrained from smirking at him. She was happy that he had learned to control himself and not immediately react and create a huge scene.

**_*“You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please.”_ **

She had then made them write down the ‘course aims’ which took a few minutes. Then she made them take out their book, ‘ _Defensive Magical Theory’_ by Wilbert Slinkhard and made them read the page five of it.

And thus, began the most tedious fifteen minutes Anusha had ever experienced in her life. Even her time-out sessions set by her and Anya’s parents seemed more interesting than this. She had never thought that a book could ever bore her. But she was wrong. This particular book made her bewildered. She exchanged a look with her twin, who seemed just as bewildered with the book as she was.

_“What the hell is this?!”_

_“I know! This is fucking outrageous!”_

They had looked to the side and found the most surprising sight. Hermione had not even opened her copy of the book. Instead, she had her hand raised high as she looked at Umbridge with determination. It was slightly shocking to see Hermione not even acknowledge the book in front of her. They watched on as Hermione continued to keep her hand raised, while Umbridge, the old toad, seemed to ignore her resolutely, before finally letting Hermione speak. What occurred next was the most intense battle between Umbridge and the students of the fifth year.

Hermione began by saying that she had a query about the Course aims and then proceeded to say that she didn’t read anything there about defensive spells. Umbridge answered by saying that they didn’t require defensive spells.

The girls shared looks with each other, too shocked and angered to say anything, as Ron exclaimed about not using magic in DADA. They had shared his sentiments unequivocally.

Hermione then raised concerns about not being able to see the point of the course, which was dismissed by Umbridge just as quickly by stating that she’s not a qualified ministry educational expert and therefore not qualified to see the point of any course and again rambled on about how the ministry had approved of a secure course where they would learn spells in a safe, risk-free manner.

Then, one by one, the students, especially the Gryffindors, had raised their hands to ask their questions, and Umbridge had answered them effortlessly. The girls had their hands raised quite steadfastly, till Umbridge had finally called out to Anya.

Anya had stood up and asked, “Why the sudden restriction of defensive spells, professor?”

“They’re not restricted, Miss. Maurya-”

“Really? It is quite clear that you don’t want to teach the spells that are ought to be known when you undergo Auror training.”

“Like I told Ms. Patil Ms. Maurya, as long as you are thorough with the theory, you’ll be fine.”

“* ** _But how is a theory going to prepare us for what’s out there?”_** Harry had exclaimed, finally losing that control that he had kept on his temper all day. Anusha had wanted to face-palm at Harry’s idiocy.

“There’s nothing out there, Mr. Potter,” Umbridge had voiced softly, smiling the creepy smile that made her hairs stand on end.

“* ** _Who would want to attack children like yourselves?_** ” She asked, looking at them as though they were ignorant five-year-old kids.

**_*“Oh I don’t know,” Harry said, in a mock thoughtful voice, “Maybe Lord Voldemort.”_ **

The whole class had reacted quite dramatically. Some girls let out little screams and gasps, while some boys looked at Harry disbelievingly. She, along with her twin and Hermione had stared at Harry tiredly.

_Oh Harry, why did you even…?_

But it was done. Umbridge had got what she wanted. She wanted to provoke him, and she did. Harry had made sure of it. She had stared at Harry with a satisfied smile on her face. She took ten points from Gryffindor and set out to claim that they were given the wrong information about a ‘certain dark lord’. Harry interrupted her. In the middle of her ‘explanation’ and claimed he was alive. She warned him to not make things worse for himself, but he didn’t listen and interrupted her again. This time, she handed him detention for Wednesday evening with a triumphant smirk and continued with her lecture. She told them to report to her when anyone said anything about ‘dark lords’. She ended her speech and sent them back to reading page five.

But Harry stood up angrily. They had all hissed at him to sit down, but he had ignored them and said, “So you think Cedric Diggory dropped dead on his own accord, did he?”

“Cedric Diggory’s death was a tragic accident, Mr. Potter,” she had said, all traces of the fake smile gone as she stare at him coldly.

“It was murder. Voldemort killed him and you know it.”

Anusha turned her head to stare at the woman, who looked as though she was ready to eat him alive. But instead, she plastered her fake smile back and called him to her table. Harry was sent out of the class with a note to Professor McGonagall.

Anusha shook her head as she thought of Harry again. He had almost stopped speaking to everyone after attending the detention with Umbridge. They had tried to make him open up about the detention, but he didn’t say a word. They pestered him for a while, but even Hermione and Ron stopped trying and shook their heads at the others who asked again and again.

Anusha had asked Hermione what had happened, but she had just said, “He made us promise not to tell anyone, Anusha. Not even Dumbledore. Not even you.”

“But was it that bad?”

“It was horrible, Anusha. Really, really horrible.”

That was all she knew about Harry’s detention with Umbridge. Until a third year student, a girl from Ravenclaw had attended Umbridge’s detention as well. Daphne, Tracy, and Anusha had found her in the corridor, her eyes red and botched with tears as she sobbed quietly.

Anusha sighed as she remembered the incident. She had hesitatingly reached out to the girl, who had looked at her with fear as she sat beside her. But the fear vanished in a few moments as Anusha had offered her a handkerchief and gently inquired what had happened. Tears had appeared in her eyes again as she removed her right hand from inside her robe.

All three of them had gasped as they saw the words carved on her wrist. It was spidery handwriting, carved on her wrist, which said something Anusha would never forget in her life.

**_“I mustn’t question my betters.”_ **

The words were literally etched on her wrist and looked as though they were written over, again and again till the words were a wound in her wrist. The edges were an angry red from the swelling.

All three of them had started consoling the poor girl as they sat there, horrified.

“What’s going on here?” McGonagall’s voice made them snap their heads to her. She had stood there with a severe frown on her face until she saw the carving on the girl’s wrist.

“My word, Ms. Thompson!” She exclaimed, kneeling down to inspect the wound. In the presence of the Transfiguration Professor, the girl started sobbing again. The first few minutes went into consoling her and calming her.

McGonagall had then asked gently about what had happened.

The girl was finally calm enough to explain what had happened.

“As soon as I entered her office, she made me sit down and told me that I was writing lines. She stopped me from taking out my stationary and gave me a ‘special quill’ with no ink and made me write, ‘ ** _I mustn’t question my betters.’_** When I asked how many times, she answered ‘enough times for it to sink in me.”

McGonagall’s face had turned red in rage as she looked at the girl with horror and realization.

Anusha went still as though she was suddenly struck.

_Harry went through the same thing…_

“I was writing when I felt this intense pain in my arm and I looked down to see my writing on my wrist and red ink on my paper. She then came and said that I deserved to be punished for acting like a brat and asking questions to people who are stationed higher than I am.”

There was a tense silence as they processed her words before McGonagall took her to the Ravenclaw wing to her head of the house. Flitwick had been mad with rage at seeing one of the students in his care in that state. He had called for one of his prefects, Cho Chang to take her junior back to her dorms. She and Anusha stared at each other curiously as she entered. But she looked away to her Housemate and immediately came to stand beside her took her away, cooing at her softly. They were then sent back to their dorms.

That was on Umbridge’s part. On a personal level, the girls had been receiving a lot of dark looks and sneers from some of their seniors and some juniors who felt they had to poke their noses between them. Anya had been the center of many confrontations with her housemates, some senior boys, along with McLaggen and Finnegan, who thought that their threats and forceful actions would somehow stop her from meeting with her twin. But all they got from her was a steely resolve that didn’t show any signs of crumbling at all. Also, what they were mostly shocked about was the fact the Golden Trio and the remaining Weasleys and Neville stood with her through it all. Even Parvati, who drew from her own personal experience, defended her from them. Coupled with so many people, plus the fact that their Head of House had interrupted their scene, the boys had backed off.

Anusha wasn’t left alone either. She was cornered by Mallory and his gang after the first day of her classes in the common room, where he had a ‘chat’ with her.

“Heiress. I’m glad I caught you. I hope your first day was adequate.”

“Yes, Your Grace. It was,” She had answered.

“I spoke to your classmates about you. They had nothing bad to report. You interacted with all professors in an appropriate manner, you interacted with your peers in a similar manner. That is quite impressive. Most of the others fail to do so, and they end up in arguments with Gryffindors and the other three houses.”

Anusha had nodded at him warily, knowing what was about to come.

The only complaint I got from all others was that of you and your sister.”

Anusha had stared at him coldly.

“And what of my sister, your Grace?”

“It seems that I wasn’t clear. I asked you to limit your interactions with her, now that she’s a member of another house. A rival house, even. And yet, what I saw today, during Breakfast and Lunch was quite the opposite. You disobeyed my direct order. You brought an _outsider_ to our table.”

Anusha had stared at him blankly, blinking at him.

“I understand that you hold some kind of loyalty towards her, but she’s of a different family now. You’re a Slytherin. We’re one family. She’s another,” He had said, uncaringly.

She had looked at him for a few seconds, before nodding.

“You’re right,” She had started, “Yes, we’re family, Your Grace. The Slytherins. But before we became family, Anya has been my family. We share the same parents. We were conceived together, brought in this world together, grew up together and experienced all things together. We made a promise to our parents that we would stand together and support each other, no matter the circumstances surrounding us. And I intend to keep that promise to her, no matter what. So, I’m sorry, but my promise to my parents, especially my late mother, is far too important for me to break it.”

The other Slytherins stared at her, shocked at seeing her defy the King yet again and stared on as she had walked away.

Other than some retaliation, they didn’t get any more than they were already facing. Well, they had incompetent teachers as well.

The thought of incompetent teachers made Anusha look beside her to her twin, who wrote furiously on her parchment, running to complete her last assignment as well, which was History of Magic. It was yet another scroll on Goblin wars for them, which was due on Thursday.

Anusha sighed. Anya had been so excited for the double History of Magic class. She remembered how antsy she was getting as she sat down. Her excitement died down as she saw the ghost of Professor Binns enter the class through the front wall. As soon as he started droning about the Goblin wars, she had heard a collective groan from the rest of the class and had felt the energy drain from her twin. She felt sorry for her twin. Anya loved History of Magic and she was planning to take it on for her N.E.W.T.s so that she would be able to take up wizarding law and become a prosecutor. But seeing Binns, it became unlikely for her to take up the subject for higher studies. Anusha felt sorry for her and she understood how she felt about her situation. But they would need some time to raise issues against that.

Fighting back a yawn, Anusha stretched in her chair.

_Gods, I’m so tired…_

“Hey sis,” Anusha said softly, as she packed up all her stuff.

Anya looked up from her assignment at her. Anusha could see she was just as tired as anyone else in the fifth year.

“I’m tired. I’m off to bed. Unless you want me to stay?”

Anya shook her head, wiping her quill and putting it away.

“Oh no. Go and take some rest. I’ll be going back as well. Goodnight sis,” Anya said, leaning up to kiss her sister’s forehead. Anusha kissed her forehead back, before pulling away and walking towards the exit.

“Goodnight,” Anusha said nodding to Madam Pince and walking out. That’s when she felt the hairs at the back of her neck prickle. She was on alert instantly but didn’t show as she continued walking. She led them to the unused classroom nearing the end of the corridor. She turned suddenly and pointed her wand at her stalker, who stared at her with surprised emerald green eyes.

She blinked at him.

“Harry?” She murmured. The boy in question scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“Hey Anusha,” He said, smiling nervously.

“Why are you following me?”

“I uh, I need to talk to you.”

Anusha blinked at him again, before pulling him into the classroom. She shut the door behind her and sat down on the table and gestured him to sit beside her.

He hopped on the table, shifting so that they were nearly shoulder to shoulder. She looked at him expectantly as he looked at his lap nervously.

“I wanted to tell you what Umbridge did to me.”

“I know.”

His head snapped up to stare at her.

“Hermione told you?” Harry exclaimed, getting slightly angry.

“No, she didn’t Harry,” Anusha said calmly. He calmed down slightly.

Anusha continued, “Another student, a Third-year student from Ravenclaw also attend Umbridge’s detention.”

“What?” He uttered, looking shocked and horrified as he looked at her.

“She did the same thing I assume she did with you. She used blood quills on you.”

Harry sighed and looked away, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“Yes. She did.”

“Harry, why didn’t you tell the Headmaster of this?”

The Gryffindor shook his head immediately.

“He has a lot on his plate right now, Anusha. And I don’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that I told the headmaster about this. That’ll only prove that we’re working together or something. I can handle this.”

“How exactly? You made sure that she has a huge reason to target you after the incident in the Defense class,” Anusha pointed out sharply, making Harry wince. But he composed himself and looked at her angrily.

“Anusha, you don’t understand! She was blabbering about things she didn’t know anything about! Cedric death wasn’t a ‘tragic accident’!”

Anusha frowned at him.

“Harry, you think I don’t know that? I saw that incident in your head, when I was training you!”

“And also, I understand it’s not easy keeping yourself quiet during these situations. I know what it feels like. I can tell you that it’s not easy, being Heiress to one of the oldest families of the world. You can ask Anya as well. She’ll tell you the same thing. And it’s worse when you’re an Indian girl as well. Because let me tell you this, many families in India consider girls to be a burden, something to be sold off to other families as broodmares!”

Harry looked at her with shock.

“What?!” He said, looking at her with slight horror. Anusha nodded at him.

“I and Anya, we both are lucky to have been born to our parents. We realized that at an early age. But we were still subjected to many snide remarks by people who thought girls had no business being Head of the families. We had to sit and listen to some of our relatives talk about arranging our marriages to some far off families to our Grandparents!”

“How did you not react to that?” He asked, more curious than offended for her. She chuckled at his question.

“Yeah, believe me, we ask that to ourselves sometimes. Do you think we didn’t want to put them in their places, huh? But we controlled. Because we know that it is of no use picking up arguments with them, especially when we have to work together in the future.”

Harry sighed and looked away again. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder reassuringly.

“I know what you’re going through, but I ask you to be a little bit cautious, okay? You don’t have to be completely silent Harry; all I’m asking is that you learn when to raise your voice, okay?”

Harry sighed.

“Alright. I’ll control myself.”

“Okay. Now, what did actually happen in the detention, Harry?”

He looked away from her for a second as his right hand went to cover his left. Anusha saw the movement and reached out to gently uncover his hand and pull it on her lap. She pulled up the sleeve covering his wrist and gasped.

Written on his wrist in his own writing was, * ** _“I must not tell lies.”_**

It was the same wound as the girl’s- bright red, swollen, and sunk deep in his wrist. She looked up at him with a shocked expression as he sighed and began.

“I went to her office the next evening. She has the most hideous office ever. All painted pink and covered with pictures of cats. She made me sit and write lines. She gave me a quill which was on her desk and made me write ‘I must not tell lies’. As I was writing, I felt the intense pain on my hand and when I looked, the words were written on there. In my own handwriting, Anusha. She then stood beside me and asked if I had a problem. When I said nothing, she said, ‘Exactly. Because deep down, you know, you deserve to be punished, don’t you, Mr. Potter?’

“She made me write with that quill for half an hour before sending me away. Hermione told me to talk to Dumbledore, to anyone, but I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction. So I kept it to myself.”

Anusha nodded and looked ahead, both lost in their thoughts.

“You know, every year, whenever I came back to Hogwarts, it always felt like coming home, what with the Dursleys and all. But this year, although I’m home, I feel more alone than I’ve ever been in my life.

“Hey! Don’t say that. You’re not alone, Harry. We’re standing with you, you know. We’ll always stand with you.”

“Even your Dad?” Harry asked, smirking impishly. Anusha chuckled.

“Yes! Even him, although he’d be slightly grumpy about it,” She said, nodding to herself.

Both of them chuckled to themselves.

“Bottom line is,” Anusha spoke up again after a few moments, “Don’t listen to whatever she says. Just stay strong. And control your anger, okay? That’s very important, especially now.”

“Yeah, I will. Thanks, Anusha,” He said, leaning in and hugging her. She hugged him back and leaned her head against his shoulder as she sighed to herself.

_Yep, this is exactly what I needed… a crush on my friend who likes someone else… why me?_

____----____----____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was it? Was there any problem with the Potions class, the DADA class, with Anusha's POV, The Detention? Please leave a kudos or comment...
> 
> * All sentences marked with an asterisk are from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (book AND the movie of the same name) which is originally written by J.K.Rowling and the credit to the movie goes Warner Bros. And also, some of the scenes are similar to the Order of the Phoenix, just with a few minor changes to go with the story... 
> 
> And if I have not marked sentences that are taken up from the books, please do tell me, I'll mark them immediately...
> 
> See ya readers!


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